Haunting
by ihavealifeiswear
Summary: When Spencer and Aria go to college, they hope they can run away from painful history in Rosewood. Aria moved on & embraces college life, but every moment is a struggle for Spencer. When old ghosts comes back to her, it intensifies. Can she forget horrible history and go forward with love reborn, or will her past continue to haunt her? SPOBY, EZRIA, and Sparia friends.
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is the beginning of the second story I am working on. It takes place in the future, time frame noted in story. Although it appears that other characters are not present in this story, lots more will be making appearances and are prominent. I understand that this first chapter is quite slow with not a lot of action, but things pick up in about chapter 4 Tell me what you think, please! Do you prefer this story or Making Choices? Let me know! Thanks for reading!**

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If Spencer had learned nothing else during her high school life, she had learned to never judge a book by its cover. In four years, she had many friends, boy friends, adversaries, and arch enemies, and all of them had turned out differently than she had expected them to be from the moment she met them. In Spencer's first impression, Mona seemed like an empty, superficial air-head, but turned out to be a vicious, brilliant villain. At first glance, she assumed Jason to be a moody, angry recluse, but as time passed, she realized that her half brother was a kind soul, full of love and compassion. She had been trying to not be so judgmental lately, taking time to get to know people before immediately jumping to conclusions. She had come to realize in the last few years that people were not always appeared. Those who appeared to be kind, sweet, and simple-minded people could have secret agendas and horrifying histories.

This was what was going through her head as she met the girl who she would live with for the next year.

"Hi, you must be Spencer!" said a friendly, smiling girl as she greeted Spencer for the first time. She walked over to the doorway of the girl's new college door room and warmly thrust out her hand. "I'm Harper, Harper Griffith." Spencer had been trying not to judge people lately, but she couldn't help size up Harper. She was slightly shorter than Spencer and her frame was softer, less bony and angular like Spencer. Her flowing, volumized hair was pleasant brownish-red, and light freckles delicately danced across her warm, smiling cheeks. But what really caught Spencer off guard was the girl's smile, sweet and earnest. She seemed like a kind, likable girl.

But as Spencer knew, not everything was what it seemed.

"OH. MY. GOD," Aria cried as she peeked her head inside the dorm room. "Spence, this place is freaking HUGE." And it was. The spacious room was more than large enough to hold the two twin beds, two identical armoires, and two roomy closets. It could have comfortably slept a third girl, not just Harper and Spencer. "Why do you have such a bigger room? SO unfair."

"Harper, this is my friend Aria," Spencer said, letting Aria take the reigns and shake Harper's hand. Aria was able to muster up her famous enthusiasm and greet Harper like a long-lost friend.

"Hi, it's so nice to meet you!" Harper said with a smile. "I'm Harper, from St. Louis. Are you in the WASH program too?" WASH stood for World Applications of Science and Humanities. Months ago after endless hours of consideration, Spencer had finally decided that the WASH program would take her where she wanted to go in life. She was taking a broad range of different classes and disciplines because the program was focused on exploring all different fields off study and showing the merits of each.

Basically, the WASH program worked for her because she had no idea what she wanted anymore. The WASH program was for the lost, the confused, and those without direction, everything that Spencer told herself she would never, ever be.

"Naw, I'm in the Arts and Literature program," Aria told Harper. "Painting, drawing, writing, and a little bit of acting and music on the side. I think the WASH program is really cool though."

Aria looked quickly between Harper's earnest smile a Spencer's tight, nervous posture. "Well, I haven't met my roommate yet," said Aria, "So I'm going to head downstairs and go find out if she's here yet. Text me later, okay?"

"Okay. By, Aria." Spener wanted to hug her tight, but that would have seemed really uncool in front of Harper, and she wanted to make a good impression.

"So, you guys knew each other from home?" asked Harper, trying to make conversation.

Spencer nodded, grateful to have something to say. "Yeah, we both grew up in Ro. . . a suburb outside of Philly. We've known each other for years, but we've really only been friends since eighth or ninth grade." _Don't say Rosewood_, she told herself. _You can't let her make the connection. If she finds out about your past, then it's all over. You need a fresh start here._

"Cool. You guys seem really close," said Harper.

"Actually, we're step sisters. Her dad just married my mom a few months ago." The term step-sister seemed far to loose for the bond between her and Aria. It was true that her mom had married Aria's dad at the beginning of the summer, and it was beyond weird for her after her parent's messy divorce last year. But blending Aria into her life had been perfectly normal. After all of the hell she had experienced during the last few years, Spencer had realized that after everyone untrustworthy and wrong had melted away from her, Aria was the only thing left. And she promised herself that she would never lose that last important thing.

The girls continued to make idle small talk while unpacking, but it was beyond awkward. Spencer kept thinking how weird it was to have to become one with another person by force or suffer for a year. She heard people talk about their college roommates like they were the missing part of their lives they that they hadn't known they were missing. But how could it be that easy? How could she let this girl, foreign albeit friendly, grow to become her best friend? She already had one, and she would kill herself before she let anyone at this college find out what Aria knew about her.

Suddenly, the tone of Harper's voice turned nervous as she began to unzip another one of her duffel bags. "Hey, um, Spencer?"

"Yeah?"

Harper stood up and faced Spencer straight on. Spencer could tell she was nervous by the way she stuttered between words. "So, I just want to be up front and honest with you, because if we don't start off by being honest, this is going to be a hard year. So, I'm just going to have to be straight and ask you something."

"Yeah, what is it?" Spencer was suddenly curious. Maybe this girl had a secret, something bad. Maybe she had a past, a past even worse than Spencer's. If Harper did have some sort of terrible history, it would make Spencer seem normal in comparison. Maybe she might be able to open up to this girl.

Harper took a breath and said, "I have really severe type 1 diabetes. I need to keep insulin with me at all times, which means I have to give myself shots a lot."

_Um. . . . so?_ Spencer thought to herself. _Was that it? Was that what Harper was so nervous about?_ Plenty of people have diabetes. It wasn't something to be ashamed about.

But Harper continued. "In the past, a lot of people I have known aren't comfortable with having needles around. I need them with me constantly though." Harper took a deep breath before saying softly, "If you don't feel comfortable with me having needles in the room, and if this is a deal breaker for you-"

"Harper," Spencer interrupted quickly before the poor girl broke down. "It's fine. It's not a deal breaker." And it certainly wasn't. Spencer didn't really understand why se thought it would be? She was expecting much, much worse. If Harper considered this her biggest secret, than there was no way Spencer would ever be able to open up to her.

Harper smiled brightly. "Thank you. I just, like, want to be upfront with you, because this is who I am. I can't change it."

Spencer nodded, and suddenly something occurred to her. This might be the perfect time to talk about her medications. "Actually, if we are talking about deal breakers, than there is something I should probably tell you." Harper looked at her expectantly as Spencer pulled a locked container the size of a large jewelry box out of one of her duffels. "I had a kidney transplant about a year ago, and I need to take a lot of heavy medication, pain killers and stuff. I figured that I'd have to keep the stuff locked up so people don't . . . take some, you know?"

The lie felt smooth and natural and flowed from her lips with ease. Part of it was true, because she was actually concerned about people trying to take her pain medications. Aria was the one who came up with the lie about having a kidney transplant. Spencer had an ugly scar from when she got her appendix out, and the Hastings family did have a history of kidney problems. It was stupid to have to make up such a story, but Spencer needed some way to explain the box full of heavy prescription medication that she held onto. It was her lifeline, the only thing that got her through the day sometimes, but she would never be able to tell Harper why.

"Oh, God, don't even worry about it," Harper said with a flick of the hand as if to say, "PHHHSSAWWWWW." "I would NEVER touch any of it, I swear."

Spencer nodded and went to put the box over on one of her shelves, but she accidentally knocked over a picture frame that Harper had placed on her dresser. Spencer picked it up and immediately started at the photo. It was a picture of Harper with a guy hugging her from behind, his arms wrapped around torso and hugging her close. The guy was tall, fit, and pretty-boy handsome. Spencer could think about how many times she had taken a picture like this, how many times she had to tear one up while tears streamed down her face. "This your boyfriend?"

Harper looked and the picture and shook her head with a smile. "Naw. I'm single. That's my best friend Alex. He's actually in the Arts and Literature program like Aria. We're not dating."

Spencer rose an eyebrow at her. "You sure? You guys look really cute together."

Harper laughed and said, "He's flaming gay. But he's the perfect gay guy best friend. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You have a boy friend?"

Spencer's breath caught in her throat. She knew that this question would show up at some point, and she would have to respond. She tried to keep an even face as she said simply, "Nope. No boy friend."

The words were so hard to say. No one in Rosewood had EVER asked her if she had a boyfriend. The all knew who she was, and they knew her story. In fact, she had never really had to explain ANYTHING about who she was after Ali went missing. People already knew who she was, and strangers had already formed an opinion of her before they met her.

But this question, whether or not she had a boy friend, felt like a stab wound into her heart. Spencer mumbled that she had to use the bathroom and dashed out the door to the communal lavatory. She passed tons of happy, chatting young adults, all excited to be starting this next chapter in there lives. None of them looked like they were running to hide and go cry in a bathroom stall.

Spencer locked herself in the first empty stall she could find and quickly sent a text to Aria: **The bathroom on my floor. Please come.**

Aria sent a response instantaneously: **Need me to bring tranquilizers?**

_God, this is humiliating_, Spencer thought as she blinked back tears. She typed back: **No, I'm okay. I just need you.** After the message sent, the tears finally spilled down her cheeks.

She was instantly ashamed of herself. This wasn't what she wanted. Most kids she knew were excited for college, for going out on their own and discovering who they were, for leaving their past behind.

But as Spencer wiped her eyes with a piece of toilet paper, she realized that college for her could never give her that fresh start. Most kids who went to college didn't come crying into the bathroom on move in day after one thought of their ex. Most kids didn't hope that their roommate had some sort of skeleton in their closet so they could feel better about their own past. Most kids didn't coordinate where she and her best friend were going because she couldn't imagine being without her. And Spencer was sure that not one other kid moving into college that day had to text their best friend to come up and hug them while they cried because she couldn't handle her emotions.

But like it or not, Spencer was at college. She was away from Rosewood, away from people who knew her before they met her, and away from Toby. So as Aria hugged her tightly and whispered softly to her to calm her down, Spencer decided that college would be a new start. College would be different. Now that she was in college, she could start over.

She had no idea that the people from her past would appear soon. She had no idea that they would be haunting her, returning to her no matter how she tried to run. But at this moment, she believed that the horror of her past was over. She believed that she was going to start over.

She wouldn't be Spencer Hastings, best friend of that dead girl, girl who was part of that tragic accident during the winter of her senior year, girl whose boy friend was Toby Cavenaugh. That was how Rosewood knew her. Here, she would just be Spencer.

The only problem was that she wasn't even sure who Spencer was anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

Spencer and Harper were laughing as they strolled through the door to their room. They had just come from yet another "team building" activity for their dorm - volley ball with exercise balls. "Honestly," said Spencer, "Are we in college or kindergarten?"

Harper nodded and said, "Well judging by how those guys from the pre-med program got when they lost, I'd say the latter." Spencer and Harper both collapsed in a fit of giggles, remembering a pack of very over-dramatic boys getting into a shoving match after the first round.

Spencer had surprised herself in the two days of orientation and team building activities. She had found that she was really starting to like having a fresh start. Girls were befriending her, guys were hitting on her (not that she cared), and she and Harper were becoming very close. Harper was silly and kooky, but also driven and intelligent like Spencer. It was surprising to her how well the two were getting along, and although they might never become as close as her and Aria, they could be good friends in time.

"This is ridiculous," Spencer declared as she dropped to the floor. "I still haven't even finished unpacking all of my stuff!" They had been so busy with everything that neither she or Harper had finally gotten everything up the way the wanted in their room.

"I'm too tired," moaned Harper dramatically, flopping onto her bed. Spencer ignored her and kept taking things out of her duffel and placing them on shelves. She only had smaller things now: make up, hair products, school supplies, jewelry, and a couple of photos, some of which were framed. She placed the photos on the shelf next to a bottle of lotion, but she accidentally knocked it over and the lotion came spurting out.

"Shit," she said, trying to move everything off the shelf. "Harper, can you grab me a few paper towels?" Harper quickly dashed to the bathroom and back and went to help Spencer clean up the mess. "It's okay, Harper, you don't have to help," Spencer said as the two of them awkwardly bent over the same sticky shelf. "Can you just move my photos somewhere else? I don't want them to get sticky."

Harper nodded and grabbed the stack, along with the three framed photos. Her eyes immediately stuck on the first one. "This is pretty," she said, eyeing the photograph. "Was this at your mom's wedding?"

Spencer tossed out the sticky paper towels and nodded. "Yup. That's Aria and her little brother Mike on the left, then her dad, then my mom, then me and my sister Melissa."

Harper was shocked to hear about Spencer having another sister; she hadn't mentioned it when they talked about their families. "Are you and Melissa close?" Something dark flashed in Spencer's eyes that Harper couldn't identify.

Spencer stuttered a minute before respond. "Nope, we aren't. But Aria is the best sister I could ever want." It was 100 percent true. After everything that happened between Spencer and Melissa, after the accident, she didn't even want to take that picture standing next to Melissa. But her mother insisted, saying that their tangled problems with each other did not trump the fact that it was a happy day and milestone. If only her mother knew everything that Melissa had done to her. If only she knew the truth.

"You guys don't look alike," said Harper, studying Melissa's face.

"We have different dads," said Spencer, the words leaving her mouth because she could think about them. She had only found out about a month or two after the wedding, and she was livid. All this time she had pegged her father as being the unloyal one, the cheater, but her mother was just as bad. As hard as it was for her, it was 100 times worse for Melissa. She wanted nothing to do with her mother any more and moved to California with her boyfriend.

It was fine for Spencer because she wanted nothing to do with Melissa anymore, either. Not after everything that happened, everything that she did. Not after the accident.

"This from your and Aria's graduation?" asked Harper, looking at the second framed photo. Spencer and Aria were clad in blue caps and gowns standing on either side of a taller, muscular boy with sexy blond hair and a winning smile.

"Yup," Spencer said, swallowing her nerves. She prayed to God that Harper wouldn't ask who-

"Who's the boy in between you guys? He's hot." Spencer didn't respond for a second, and Harper sensed some tension. "He an ex?"

Spencer awkwardly massaged a knot in her neck so she'd have something to do with her hands. "He's actually my half brother on my dad's side."

"Oh," said Harper, not sure how to respond. She felt awkward for bringing it up, but she didn't know why.

"He- he had a thing with Aria a while back," Spencer interjected. "It's kind of weird now when we talk about him." Spencer felt proud of herself for telling the truth. Although, one awkward kiss didn't really count as a thing. But it was still INCREDIBLY uncomfortable whenever Aria and Jason hung out together, especially because-

"Is Aria seeing anyone?"

_Goddammit_, thought Spencer, _what is with all these nosy questions?_ "Yeah, she's been with her boyfriend for two years," Spencer said, feeling jealous. She cold never admit it to Aria, but she was ALWAYS jealous of her relationship with Ezra. Ezra was perfect- kind, caring, loving. Just like Toby used to be.

And the worst part was, Ezra never had to leave her. He applied for a job here, at Aria's COLLEGE, as an English professor when he found out Aria was applying, and he got the job. The two would never be able to hang out on campus, but they were together.

Harper sensed awkwardness settling into the room. Spencer had turned pale and stiff. She clearly didn't want to talk about anything that had to do with her past, her siblings, her relationships. Harper wasn't sure why; she herself had been an open book over the last few days, telling Spencer about her family, friends, and home town. She didn't know why Spencer wouldn't open up.

Determined to make a connection, Harper looked at the third framed photo. "Cute," she said with a smile, examining the photo. Spencer and Aria were sitting on the railing of that front porch of a house with three other girls. It looked safe enough to talk about. "Are they some of your friends?"

Spencer nodded and whispered, "Yeah, they used to be my best friends."

"Used to be? Where are they now? Different schools?"

Spencer didn't respond and turned pale again. Inside her mind, she wanted to vomit. She hated the fact that she would never be able to talk about them to anyone. How could she pretend that these girls, these girl who knew more about her than she knew about herself, didn't exist? Other than this one photo, she had to pretend that these girls didn't matter.

"Spencer? Are you okay?" asked Harper. "Is there something wrong?"

Spencer sniffled and rubbed her eyes. _Don't cry_, she told herself. _You can't appear weak to her_. "They. . . died. In a car crash."

"Oh my God," Harper breathed, shocked by her words. "Spencer, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"It's okay," Spencer said with a shrug. She walked over next to Harper and looked at the photo. "It was an accident. Nothing could have stopped it." She sat down and looked at the photo with Harper. The smiling girls in the photograph were sitting on the railing of the front porch of Spencer's lake house. "Aria's on the far left, and next to her is Alison. Then Emily, then me, then Hanna."

Harper looked at the the girls with their bright smiles. "You guys were close," she observed. It might have been a question, but Harper knew that there must have been something deep between them.

"We were," Spencer whispered tearfully. "It's been. . . hard, to say the least."

"I bet," whispered Harper as she stroked the wooden frame of the photo. "I'm sorry for prying." No wonder Spencer never wanted to talk about her past. Harper felt like an asshole for digging.

"It's okay," said Spencer softly. "I'm really tired. I'm going to brush me teeth."

"Okay," said Harper awkwardly. Spencer went to grab her tooth brush and tooth paste and dashed out the door, tears threatening in her eyes. But instead of going straight to the bathroom, she ran down two floors to Aria's room.

Aria was sitting inside, writing in her journal while glaring at her roommate Tammy, when Spencer knocked on the door. Tammy had her headphones in and didn't hear the door, so Aria signed and jumped up to answer it. When she saw Spencer on the other side, staring down at little Aria with her big, puppy dog eyes, she knew something was wrong.

"Tammy?" asked Aria. "Would you mind giving us some privacy for a few minutes?" Tammy rolled her eyes, jumped up from the bed and plowed past the girls out the door, her iPod in her hand. Obviously, she could hear Aria and heard the door a few minutes ago.

Aria closed the door and rolled her eyes. "She always like that?" ask Spencer, sitting down on Aria's bed.

"Yup," groaned Aria, plopping down next to her. "She gives moody artists a bad name. Now what's up?"

Spencer buried her face in her hands and sighed. "I should have never brought any photos with me."

Aria gently pressed a hand onto Spencer's back. "Breath, Spencer, keep breathing," she whispered. It was a problem Spencer had during the last few months; if she got overwhelmed, she would forget for to keep breathing, or start hyperventilating and would end up blacking out. "Just breath, Spence. In and out, in and out." It was scary for Aria, but it wasn't as bad as the semi-constant panic attacks that were finally under control. She would take the random breathing problems over the random panic attacks any day.

"I'm fine," whispered Spencer, pulling away from Aria. "I'm okay. You don't have to do this."

"Spence, I'm always going to be here. I can always do this for you." Aria frowned when Spencer didn't respond. She was always embarrassed of how much she relied on Aria to be there.

"What did Harper see?" asked Aria gently.

"You know that framed photo I have of the five of us, sitting on the railing of my lake house porch?" Spencer sniffled, wiping away a tiny tear forming in her eye.

Aria sighed softly and said, "What did you tell her?"

"They all died in a car crash," said Spencer. "Just like we agreed. And it's not a story, it's the truth. A tragic car accident."

"Spence."

"We have nothing to hide from anyone," Spencer said in a monotone. "We are just two girls whose best friends died in a car accident."

"No, we aren't," said Aria, putting her arm around Aria. "Remember what Dr. Sullivan said? You're more than that."

"Am I?" asked Spencer.

"YES," said Aria forcefully. "You aren't just that girl. You're not just the girl who-"

"Whose boyfriend is a murderer who screwed her over."

It was silent for a second before Aria responded. "Yeah. You're not just that girl. You are so much more."

Spencer didn't respond for a moment, just leaned into Aria's contact. "I'm really lucky I have you, Aria," she whispered. "You're the only good thing I have left."

Aria blushed and bit her bottom lip. "I'm sorry for everything that happened, Spencer. I really am. I wish it hadn't turned out this way."

"You know," she whispered, "That is the first time you have ever said that to me."

Aria looked at her and said, "Did you want me to say it sooner?"

"Don't be sorry," said Spencer, her voice thick. "There's nothing to be sorry for. Nothing ever happened."

"What?"

"We're just going to pretend none of it existed. Ok?"

"Ok," whispered Aria and rested her head on Spencer's shoulder. The two sat there like that for a long time until neither could remember why Spencer came to the room in the first place


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey," called Aria as she strolled into Spencer and Harper's room, unannounced. "What are you guys doing tonight?"

Spencer looked up from the pile of textbooks surrounding her on her bed, her cluster of notebooks, and her smattering of pencils, pens, and highlighters. "Um, this?" With a note book on one knee and her laptop on the other, Aria could pretty much assume from the picture in front of her that Spencer was in for the night.

"Wrong answer," said Aria, slamming one of the textbooks closed. "Tonight, we are going out."

Harper cheered as she pushed her textbook off her bed. It made a thick, thumping sound as it hit the floor. But Spencer shook her head sadly. "Aria, I have a paper due on Monday, a whole set of calculus problems, and a chemistry lab. Not to mention two thousand pages to read for English Lit. "

Aria looked at her as if to say, _You can't be serious_. "Spencer, it's our first friday night as actual college students. Are you seriously saying that you want to waste it studying?"

"Yup," she replied, not taking her eyes off her notebook. "Besides, last friday was our first friday as college students."

"That was orientation week," said Aria. "It doesn't count."

"Well, you and Harper can have fun together. Don't wait up."

"Speeeeencccccce," whined Aria. "Please, I need you."

"Why? What do you have planned?"

"Well," Aria said, sitting down on Spencer's bed, "Let's just say there is some hotness involved."

"WHAT?" cried Harper. "I need details."

"You'll have to see," said Aria mysteriously as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

"Tell me now," said Spencer, "Or you can leave."

Aria pouted before beginning her tale. "I was talking to this cute guy, Brandon, in my Intro to Sketching class, and he and his roommate are both dying to meet girls. I told him that I myself was not available, but that I knew a couple of cool people he might like."

"No you did not," said Spencer, her eyes widening.

Aria shot her a dazzling smile. "I said I'd bring two friends to a party at the Alpha Theta Beta Fraternity House for him and his roommate to meet. His brother is the fraternity head and can get us in! Isn't that awesome?"

"It would be," Spencer said, not looking at Aria, "If I was interested. Why don't you ask Tammy? She's your roommate; you should bond with her."

Aria groaned and declared, "Because Tammy is too busy driving downtown tonight to work at the Catz Club."

"SHE IS?" cried Harper, totally caught off-guard. Catz Club was a strip club that guys were talking about constantly, and Harper and Spencer already had heard rumors that you can't walk into that place without getting an STD. Aria had confided in them that Tammy was definitely on drugs, but dancing at the Catz Club was a WHOLE new level.

"She might as well be," Aria moaned. "She keeps bringing different guys into our room. It's disgusting. She LOCKS ME OUT while they're in there."

"Wow," breathed Harper. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," moaned Aria. "Sometimes she locks me out AT NIGHT."

"You know you can stay in here whenever you need," said Spencer. "The room is big enough for the three of us."

Aria cocked her head to the side. "You know, that sounds like something a FRIEND would say. And you know what else a friend would do? Party with me on a Friday night, only one night out of their life. PLEASE come with me."

"Aria, stop with the emotional blackmail," demanded Spencer. "That's not fair."

"But I told Brandon I'd bring two girls!"

Spencer shook her head sadly. "Aria, I'm not ready to get with a guy yet."

"You don't have to," interjected Harper. "We can just go and hang out with people, grab a beer, dance our asses off. It'll be fun. Besides, do you know how hard it is to be a Freshmen and get into a party at the Alpha house?"

Spencer wilted slightly, now that it was two against one, so Aria scooted closer to her. She didn't look Aria in the eye, so Aria said, "Harper? Can you give us some privacy for a few minutes?"

Harper nodded and slipped on her big-ass headphones. They were big, DJ style ones that completely blocked out the rest of the world. She had already done this a few times for Spencer and Aria because she knew that they needed privacy sometimes. Spencer would sometimes get scared or emotional, and she would need to talk to Aria in private, so Harper would turn up her music so they could talk. Although neither of them ever elaborated, Harper knew that Spencer had a darker past that only Aria could help her with. She assumed it was just sadness and PTSD due to the car crash that killed her three friends, and she was perfectly fine with Spencer not wanting to elaborate.

Harper plugged in her iPod and turning her music on, so Aria turned to Spencer. "You wanted a fresh start, right? You can't just sit in your room all night hiding."

"I'm not hiding," said Spencer defensively. "I just don't want to go, okay? I don't feel like hanging out with a bunch of drunk, horny fraternity boys."

"Spence, you wanted to start over," Aria said simply. "Do you realize that not one person at that party knows who you are? You can meet people!"

"I TOLD you, Aria!" Spencer said, "I don't want to meet a guy."

"Who said you did? But you need to get out and have fun. You deserve to have fun."

"Aria,-"

"Just go because six months ago on a Friday night, you couldn't get out of bed, much less get dressed up for a party."

Those words hit her right in the gut. Aria was right. Six months ago on a Friday night, Spencer probably in bed by 8 PM because she had to get up early on Saturdays for therapy. Six months ago on a Friday night, her mother was probably sitting by her bedside, rubbing Spencer's back while she didn't even acknowledge her mother's presence. Six months ago on a Friday night, she was thinking about the accident, not pretending it never existed. And Aria? Six months ago she was probably out of the hospital, still recuperating, snuggling into Ezra's arms while she cried, finally letting out her emotions because she had to be the strong one for Spencer all the time. Spencer never wanted either of them to have another one of those Friday nights again.

Finally, Spencer smiled and said, "Fine, I'm going." Aria cheered with delight and knocked the headphones off of Harper's head. "BUT I AM NOT GETTING INTO BRANDON'S PANTS!" she screamed as an afterthought.

"Are you sure?" said Aria, pulling up a picture on her phone. Harper and Spencer both looked at the boy in the picture, cute in a High School Musical sort of way.

"Well, if Spencer won't, I WILL!" cried Harper as she sized up the guy in the photo. "You said the party is at the Alpha house?"

"Yup," said Aria. "So we have to look HOT. And I have the perfect dress."

"Which one?" asked Spencer. She knew her Aria's crazy wardrobe by heart.

"The new one I bought with you last month at CeCe's store."

"OH MY GOD," cried Spencer. "You are NOT talking about that slinky little black thing."

"That's the one," Aria sing-songed with a sexy smile.

"You'll look like a stripper!"

"Isn't that the point?" Aria said mischievously.

"But you already have a boyfriend, Aria."

"That doesn't mean I can't make a few guys drool." Aria winked seductively. Spencer rolled her eyes playfully. _One day_, Spencer thought to herself, _that cocky little attitude is going to get her in a lot of trouble._

And Spencer was right. The only problem was, that day would be sooner rather than later. In fact, Aria didn't realize as she smeared on eye make up and slathered red lipstick on mouth that the day her attitude might get her into trouble might even be that very night. If she had known, maybe she wouldn't worn such a revealing outfit.


	4. Chapter 4

"Brandon!" Aria greeted with a giggle as she flounced into the rec room of the Alpha Theta Beta house that night. After an hour and a half of wandering around through this party, they had finally found Aria's friend. Spencer was amazed how poised and confident Aria looked. This kind of thing was completely out of her element. It was already dark out, and the party was filled with loud music, plenty of booze, and tons of big, loud college students bumping into each other and gyrating to the music.

The evening had been a whirlwind so far, from Aria getting Harper and Spencer into the skankiest clothing they would allow, to Spencer yanking Aria away from practically every straight guy in the party. It was completely taking Spencer by surprise to see Aria so bold and flirty. Spencer had to physically drag Aria away from a few horny guys who tried to grab her boobs. It wasn't surprising due to Aria's provocative, low cut dress, but what was really surprising Spencer that Aria was perpetuating her admirers.

"Ariaaaaaa," Brandon called, the words slurring in his mouth. Spencer smirked as she watched the guy drunkenly wrapped his arms around tiny Aria and pulled her down onto his lap. "Come join the game."

Brandon and a bunch of other older, scary kids were sitting around on sofas, each of them holding a drink in a red plastic cup. Aria settled into Brandon's lap and motioned for Harper and Spencer to sit on the floor in front of them. "What are we playing?" Aria asked.

"Truth or Dare," Brandon said as he lazily draped his arm over Aria's shoulder. "Gotta play to stay, or your out the door."

"Well," Aria whispered seductively, "I'd hate to walk out the door so soon. I've hardly had any fun yet. Whose turn is it?"

"Mine," said a burly, sleazy guy with a long, greasy beard. "And I pick her." He lifted a bony finger and pointed straight at Spencer. "Truth or Dare?" Spencer and Harper giggled nervously and glanced at each other. Spencer hadn't expected to get any attention at this party standing next to Aria the whole night. Not that she wanted any, but it was nice to feel admired.

She planned to pick truth, the much more sensible option. But she noticed everyone staring at her expectantly, waiting for something special to happen. Aria's words rattled around in her mind. She deserved to have fun. Spencer smiled seductively at the guy and whispered, "Dare."

"Awesome. I dare you to go upstairs and bang me."

"And I'm out," said Spencer, standing up from her spot on the floor while everyone around her started laughing hysterically. Spencer had to suppress a smile; she had to admit that it was pretty funny.

"Wait," said Harper, standing up with her roommate. "I'm coming with you."

"No, stay," Spencer insisted. "Have fun. Stay with Aria."

"Spence, are you sure?" asked Harper quietly so the people around her couldn't hear.

Spencer nodded urgently and whispered even more softly, "Keep an eye on Aria. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." With that, Spencer weaved away through the crowd to grab a drink. In seconds, she was gone.

"My turn," said an equally sleazy, equally greasy guy sitting on another couch as Harper settled back down on the floor. "You," he said, pointing at Harper. "Truth or Dare?"

Harper blushed furiously, not expecting the attention. She was to afraid to chose dare after what happened to Spencer, so she went sensible and chose truth. She didn't want to have to leave the game. She knew that Aria would stay, and then she would be alone while digging around to find Spencer.

The guy sized her up for a moment before asking, "If you had to bang a professor, who'd you pick?" Harper blushed even deeper, unsure of her answer. She wasn't sure which of her teachers would be good in bed, if that was what he was asking. Or did he mean who she thought was hot? She was a virgin, but she didn't want anyone at this school to know that. Who would be some one cool to say? She wanted to sound mature, like sleeping with teachers no big deal. But suddenly, the perfect answer came to her.

"My World Literature Professor. Fitz. I think his first name is Ezra or something like that." The answer provoked plenty of whistles and shouts of encouragement. Harper was too excited to notice Aria suddenly turning pale and pursing her lips tight.

"Fitz is one serious piece of ass," an older girl with thick black eyeliner crowed. "I heard he got fired from his last job for hooking up with students."

"Where'd you hear that?" Aria asked through clenched teeth. Everyone stared at her, shocked by her sudden outburst.

"It's all over campus," interjected one boy with long black hair, breaking the awkward silence. "He's been with like half his Freshmen students already." Internally, Aria was gasping. _Why was this all over campus? Who started this rumor? AND IS IT TRUE?_

"He can't keep it in his pants," said another boy with a mohawk and a nose stud. "A girl in my chem class said he was totally trying to feel her up when she went to him for homework help." _If he did_, Aria thought panicking,_ I will kill him. Slowly and painfully_.

"That really shouldn't be allowed to happen," interjected Harper, trying to have an opinion about something to make people think she was smart. "I mean, this school should think about who they're hiring."

"I don't know," one girl with long, platinum blond hair and heavy lip-glossed lips lamented. "I could use some action, and he looks pretty easy." _He does? _Aria internally whimpered. _What makes her say THAT? _Aria felt like she was going to vomit.

A boy with his arm around the girl's shoulder laughed and said, "I don't know, baby. He wouldn't be good to you."

"I think your wrong," the girl said, kissing him drunkenly. "According to every girl in his English class, he's pretty good in bed."

This evoked plenty of laughter from the crew loitering around the couches, but it proved to much for Aria. She pushed up off of Brandon's lap and walked angrily over to the girl. "You don't even know him," she whispered, tears threatening in her eyes as she slapped the blond girl, evoking gasps from the group.

"Um, what the fuck is your problem, bitch?" the blond girl questioned.

Aria blinked twice, realizing what she had just done. "I- I'm sorry, I just. . ." She didn't finish her sentence before dashing away from the group, weaving through the party towards the exit. Harper awkwardly stood up and followed Aria through the party, confused as hell.

She had no idea of Aria's history with Ezra. She had no idea of the thoughts floating through Aria's mind: _Ezra's cheating on me,_ she kept telling herself. _He doesn't love me anymore. NO ONE loves me anymore._

Somewhere, Aria knew it was irrational, but maybe it was the alcohol and maybe it was her nerves that kept the thoughts spiraling through her. _I've been too wrapped up with Spencer, with everything that happened in the accident, to figure it out. I've lost it. I've lost touch with everything. Everyone._

_No matter what happens, the accident still rules my life. _


	5. Chapter 5

"Aria," called Harper as she followed Aria outside the fraternity house. She had been trying to get close to Aria, but the small girl was gifted at weaving through crowds. Harper had just finally caught her as she dashed outside. "What was that all about?"

"It's nothing," Aria mumbled, her arms crossed on her chest. She lightly kicked a pebble with the toe of her shoes, pointedly ignoring Harper. "I'm fine."

Harper finally caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder. "Aria, what was happened back there? As soon as they started talking about Professor Fitz you freaked."

Aria shrugged away from her and said, "They were being rude. I didn't like it."

"Aria, you don't slap the living daylight out of some one you just met because they were RUDE. Seriously, what just happened?"

Aria sniffled softly, looking away. "He's just an old family friend, and I. . . don't like them talking bad about him." That only began to cover what she was feeling. She and Ezra sat down a week before they moved here to talk about what would happen.

* * *

_"Baby, you can trust me," Aria said softly as she snuggled down closer into his muscular chest. The two were laying together on the couch in Ezra's apartment, talking about what the big upcoming move would bring. "Why are you so worried?"_

_"It's not your loyalty that I'm worried about," Ezra murmured as he kissed the top of her head gently. "It's the boundaries. We'll barely be able to see each other. And there are all those parties, and. . . "_

_"Stop," Aria whispered, sitting up and looking him in the eye. She grabbed his face gently and whispered, "I am already in love with some one else. And I can tell people that I'm not available."_

_"I know that somewhere," he said sadly, smoothing her hair. "I mean, I want you to experience new things in college, meet people. But it's just scary, you know? I can't compete with frat boys and the football team."_

_"Ezra," she laughed. "You don't have to. I promise. As long as you promise not to hit on any of your students." She said it in a joking way before she realized that it would strike a chord._

_Ezra chuckled like it was no big deal, but Aria noticed his cheeks turning pink. "Well, it's happened before," he said, raising his eyebrows at her._

_Aria pouted. As much as she hated to admit it, there was once a point in her life where she was his student. Their relationship had changed so much since junior year, but Ezra could never seem to forget how it all started. He would always talk about that horrible moment when she looked up to see him standing at his desk on the first day of junior year. He always made jokes about it, but she tried her best to forget._

_"I'm just kidding," he said, pulling her in close again. "Aria, you know that won't happen, right?"_

_"I guess," she murmured, resting her head on his chest once more. This was Ezra, her Ezra. Why was she so worried? She knew he would be loyal to her._

_ But she couldn't help but feel his heart beat get faster, a sure sign that he was nervous_.

* * *

"Just leave me alone," Aria mumbled and dashed back into the party. Fine. If Ezra wanted to be unloyal, than so could she. She ignored Harper running after her and made her way through the crowded house until she got in line for booze. Unfortunately, she was unaware of the guys staring at her from across the room.

Leaning against one of the walls of the room, two boys stared at her from a distance. They were both sweaty, had long, greasy hair, and wore metal head t-shirts. They had been staring at the room like predators for the last two hours, trying to make their decision, when one of them caught sight of Aria. His eyes stared at her low-cut neckline, her wide doe eyes, and her long flowing hair. He nudged his friend, decision made.

"Her," mumbled Ryan, a bitter senior who was furiously failing out of school, as took another sip of his drink. "She's small so it won't take a lot to get her under. I think she's a Freshmen. And she's here alone."

"You sure?" asked Eric, his best friend asked. "I thought I saw her with a girl about an hour ago."

"The girl left," Ryan said, feeling around in his pocket to make sure the drugs were still there. They were. He fished them out, pills crushed into a fine powder hours before, and passed them into Eric's hand. "If we're going to test this stuff out, she seems like a pretty safe lab rat."

Eric nodded, but was unsure for a minute. He knew a bunch of his friends, Ryan included, did this to girls all the time, but it still felt weird. He had never done something like this before. "C'mon, Eric," Ryan growled. "Grow a fucking pair. It's not big deal."

With that, Ryan grabbed the untouched drink that they had grabbed specifically for just this and handed it to his friend. "You doing this or what?"

Eric nodded and slipped the powder into the drink, shaking the cup a few times to make sure it was completely dissolved. "Remember, they're doing construction on the second floor," said Ryan as he downed the rest of his drink. "Renovations and shit like that. It should be abandoned, so bring her up there. And don't wait very long. That shit is powerful."

Eric nodded again, grabbed both the drugged beverage and his own red cup, and began to weave through the crowd until he reached the long line of people waiting for a drink. "You know what sucks?" he said when he finally reached Aria.

The sudden appearance of this stranger shocked her, and she looked up to find a tall boy standing over. "What?"

"When some one as hot as you are has to wait for a drink," he said smoothly, passing her the red cup.

Aria smiled at him, unsure of whether to take it. A giant battle was raging in her mind. On one hand, she knew she shouldn't be egging this guy on. She was already in a relationship with someone who loved her a lot.

But on the other hand, did he really? If what those kids said was true, than who knew how much he really cared about her? It was too painful to think about. In a split second, she decided to drown her mind in alcohol so she couldn't think about it. And what better alcohol is there than alcohol from random guys hitting on you?

"I'm Aria," she said, flashing him a sexy smile. "And you are?"

"Horny," he said with a wink. He took his own drink and downed a big sip. "You are easily the prettiest girl in this room. How have I never met you before? You've got to be a Senior, right?"

Aria smiled. "Nope. I'm new in town, and was hoping that some one could show me around."

"Well, you know the first rule of Alpha parties, right?"

"Nope, what's that?"

"Drink first, talk later. If you make it through two drinks, maybe I could be your tour guide. Show you around, if you know what I mean."

Aria blushed furiously. Ezra had made her swear that she wouldn't drink while in school- _No. Alcohol. Ever. PROMISE me, __Aria,_ were his exact words_-_ but was she really going to listen to him? He was probably off with some skanky Sophomore right now. And this guy was friendly, wasn't he?

Without another thought, Aria lifted her cup to her lips and downed its entire contents in one swallow, completely unaware of the drugs inside sliding down her throat and straight into her bloodstream.


	6. Chapter 6

**Just a note before you read this chapter: I stay true to my ratings. Fear not, there is not about to be some sort of horrific, graphic rape scene. However, this chapter does contain some foul language. Although you may not want to, PLEASE continue to the end of the chapter. It has a twist that you don't expect.**

* * *

"Aria?" called Harper as loudly as she dared as she weaved through the thick crowd of partying students. "Spencer? Aria?" She had been lost and confused while stumbling around, trying to find her friends. But she had no idea where they were.

Suddenly, she caught sight of Aria from across the room. She was giggling madly as a sleazy guy twice her size talked with her intensely at the bottom of the steps that lead upstairs. Aria was holding a drink -make that chugging a drink- as the guy looked her over in a predatory way. He was easily a foot and a half taller and 100 pounds heavier than the slight Aria.

Harper tried to push through the crowd to reach her, but suddenly a guy tripped over her foot and spilled his drink on her shirt. "Shit, I'm sorry," he said, trying to wipe the sour-smelling liquid off of her.

"It's cool," she said, distracted turning back towards where Aria was standing. But suddenly, she and the guy were gone. Harper ran over to where the two had been, but there was no sign of them. They were gone. Just gone.

"This way," Eric said as he gently guided Aria up the stairs and through the second floor hallways of the fraternity house about 30 minutes later. He had been coaxing as much alcohol as possible into her, and she was just short of foaming at the mouth.

"Is there anyone up here?" she slurred as she tripped over her own feet.

Eric shook his head as he pulled her into an empty room. It was probably a bedroom, but it was empty for construction renovations. "Just me and one beautiful girl," he said as he leaned in and kissed her.

Aria started to laugh, but she suddenly turned pale and leaned against a wall. "I feel dizzy," she whispered. Her head suddenly started pounding, her heart slowed down, and her vision started to blur. A ringing started in her ears, and everything felt fuzzy. "I need to . . . sit . . . down."

Aria suddenly collapsed against the wall and started hyperventilating. She slid down onto the floor in a sitting position as tears started to form in her eyes. Eric panicked and crouched down next to her; was this supposed to happen? Shit, what if he killed her? "It's cool, bro," Ryan's voice called from behind as he walked in. "Give it a minute."

Aria looked up at Eric, her eyes glazed over with a vacant expression. Suddenly, they rolled back in her head and she fell sideways to the floor, unconscious. "Theeeeeeere we go," said Ryan as he locked to door behind him. "Nice work, Eric."

Eric nodded, uncertain, and backed away from her unmoving body. Suddenly, her eyes shot open and started searching around blankly. She didn't say anything, but a low moan came from deep in her throat. "You go first, man," Eric said, looking at her pale complexion. He back away from her body and watched her lapse in and out of consciousness.

Ryan nodded and crouched down next to Aria. He yanked her dress over her head forcefully, knocking her head against the floor. Aria's eyes fluttered closed again, unaware of Ryan bent over her. She was naked except for her strapless bra and skimpy underwear, completely exposed to the two boys.

"You got a condom?" asked Eric as Ryan began to lift up her bra.

"You're fucking serious?" Ryan asked with a laugh as he hooked his fingers under the elastic of the bra, sliding it upwards. "What, afraid I'll get her pregnant? Who gives a shit?"

"I might," a deep, angry voice growled from the corner of the room. Eric and Ryan jumped. They thought they were alone. A dark figure paced towards them, his posture rigid and stiff. He wore ripped, messy jeans and a dark hoodie that concealed his face. "What the fuck are you doing to her?"

"You want a turn?" Ryan asked as he began to unzip his pants.

Instead of a response, the guy walked over and punched Ryan in the gut. Ryan moaned and reeled backwards, fury and hatred in his eyes. "What the fuck is wrong with you dude?" asked Eric. He stood up and shoved Aria's half-naked body against the wall. He took a step towards the boy and said, "Who gives a shit? She's just some girl."

"You have ten seconds to get the fuck out of here," the strange guy hissed, his fists clenching, "Or I will beat the living shit out of both of you."

"I'm not scared of you, shitdick," said Ryan, giving the figure a shove backwards. "We bought the drugs to knock her out, so we get to bang her. That's how the world works. So I suggest you get your faggot ass out of here before-"

Ryan was cutoff by a fist meeting his nose. The guy went animal on him, shoving Ryan against a wall and delivering a sharp kick to his groin. Ryan didn't put up a fight as the guy punched him again and again in the shoulder, the chest, the chin.

"STOP!" Eric yelled, trying to grab the guy's shoulder. "STOP IT!" But the boy ignored Eric and kept beating the living shit out Ryan. Soon, Ryan couldn't stand up and fell to the floor, and the guy backed away. "Fine, we're leaving," Eric said, trying to hide his fear as he yanked Ryan to his feet.

Eric and Ryan stumbled out the door, but left it wide open. When they stumbled down the steps, blood spewing out of Ryan's nose, Harper finally caught sight of them. _What the hell?_ she thought as she watched Eric run out the door of the frat, Ryan stumbling behind him.

She dashed up the stairs as quickly as she could, following the trail of blood that must have gushed out of Ryan's nose. It lead her to a dark room at the end of the hall with the door wide open. Harper stepped in the room and gasped when she found Aria, half naked and unconscious, sprawled across the floor, with the dark figure leaning down next to her and gently stroking her face.

"What are you doing?" Harper screamed as she ran towards Aria. "Get away from her!"

The boy didn't move back, just lightly kissed Aria's forehead. He turned his head up towards Harper and whispered, "No. Please. I have to help her. I have to."


	7. Chapter 7

The following day at 1:47 PM, Spencer stumbled into her dorm room. Her head was pounding, and she swore to herself that she would never drink so much ever again. She was ready to collapse into her own bed and sleep a few more hours until her hangover eased, but she saw some one was already in it.

Spencer was completely baffled to find Aria snuggled under the covers in Spencer's bed, sleeping peacefully. And she was even more surprised to see Harper sitting in her desk chair next to the bed, watching Aria as her chest rose and fell with each breath.

"Harper?" whispered Spencer when she noticed Harper's red, bloodshot eyes. "What's going on?"

Harper turned to Spencer with a look that was half anger, half terror. "Where were you last night?" Harper breathed, her voice quivering. "Where did you go?"

Spencer started to stumble over her words. "I got so wasted that a girl let me sleep on the couch in the Delta Kappa Gamma sorority. I met her at the party. I just woke up a few hours ago."

Harper narrowed her eyes at Spencer, her chin quivering. "What time did you leave the party?"

Spencer bit her lip and whispered, "I have no idea. I was so drunk last night. Why?"

Harper gently caressed Aria's cheek and brushed a strand of hair off her face. "I needed you. ARIA needed you." Tears threatened in Harper's eyes as she stared at Aria's sleeping face.

"Harper, what happen?"

Harper stood up and walked over to Spencer, tears finally spilling down her cheeks. "Some guys slipped Aria a date rape drug."

Spencer's blood went cold, and she stopped breathing for a few seconds. Her tongue felt like jelly as she choked out the words. "_Harper,_ WHAT happened?"

"He slipped it in her drink," Harper wailed, collapsing into Spencer's arms. She sobbed while spilling the story. "He took her upstairs and she passed out, and his friend started to. . . undress her."

Spencer was suddenly filled with rage. If some one touched her, RAPED her, then he would die. Spencer would kill him. If some one violated Aria, he would pay, painfully. Aria knew that Spencer wasn't above murder.

"Did he. . . do it?" Spencer couldn't make her mouth say the word "rape."

"Thank God, no," Harper whimpered, her hands shaking. "Some other guy intervened. I found him trying to help her, and he carried her back here."

Spencer's mouth dropped open. "He CARRIED her all the way here?"

Harper nodded, thinking wearily of the night before.

* * *

"_You wanna take a break?" asked Harper as she and the boy in the hoodie strolled down the street. It was late, after 3 PM, and it was completely silent except for the click of Harper's heels against the sidewalk. The boy in the hoodie walked next to her, carrying Aria in his arms._

_"Naw, I'm good," he said. "I want to get her somewhere safe, somewhere warm."_

_"Aren't you tired?" said Harper. The dorm was a more than two miles from the fraternity, and that would have had to been painful while carrying another person._

_"Nope," he said, smiling at Harper. "I've walked much worse than this, believe me."_

_Harper couldn't help to admire his face. She was somewhat drunk, so all she could see was that it was hot. "Thank you so much for all your help. You're really a knight in shining armor."_

_"I don't know about that," he said, blushing._

_"You are, really," she insisted, suddenly feeling selfconscious. "So, what's your name?"_

_"Why does it matter?" he said simply. "Names are just groups of letters. Titles. They don't mean anything."_

_"Names are important," Harper insisted._

_"Well, what's yours?" the boy said._

_"I asked you first." The guy only smiled at her, a thousand watt smile that illuminated the night. "Well, my name is Harper. And you?"_

_"Like I said," the boy drawled, hoisting Aria up a little higher in his arms, "Names are just titles."_

_Harper exhaled long and slow. Flirting with this guy would be difficult if she didn't know his name. "So, are you in that fraternity?" Harper asked, trying to make conversation._

_"Maybe," he said, not elaborating._

_"What grade are you in?" He didn't respond, only smiled at her again. That smile melted her soul. "What dorm?" Nothing, no response. "Are you going to tell me anything about you?"_

_The boy shook his head, laughing. "I like to keep people guessing," he said. "I don't want to give away my life story the first time I meet some one."_

_"What if I want to see you again?" asked Harper, the words surprising her. She really did want to see him again, though. Something about him drew her in and made her want to get closer._

_"Well, I'll be at the next Alpha party, a week from today," he said. "I'll be in that same room all night. So you can come and find me that way."_

_"All night? Why?"_

_"Like I said," the boy chuckled, "I don't need to tell you everything."_

_By this time, they had reached the dorm. "Should I take her back to her bed?" the boy asked._

_Harper shook her head. "I don't have her room key. You can just take her to my room- if, that's. . . okay, I mean." Harper blushed. She hoped she didn't sound too pushy._

_"If she's not your roommate, how do you know her?" asked the boy as Harper walked into the dorm._

_"She's my roommate's step-sister," said Harper as she strolled through the doorway._

_"Oh," he said nonchalantly, as if he had no idea. But secretly, his was laughing hysterically. This girl, Harper, was Spencer Hasting's roommate. What were the odds that he would happen upon her and Aria tonight? Really, what were the odds? "Well, as long as she gets somewhere safe," the boy said, nodding towards Aria in his arms._

_"Thanks again for all your help," Harper said earnestly. "I don't know what would have happened if you weren't there."_

_"That," the boy said with a smile, "Is a question I ask myself every day."_

* * *

"And he just took her here?" asked Spencer, wiping a tiny tear from her eye. Her voice was thick as she held back from sobbing.

Harper nodded. "He tucked her into bed and left."

"Has she woken up since then?" asked Spencer, afraid of the answer. Harper shook her head sadly, not meeting Spencer's eyes.

"Why didn't you take her to the hospital?" demanded Spencer, furious. "Who knows what he slipped her. She could have died, Harper!"

Harper's eyes narrowed, and her eyebrows furrowed. "If I took her to the hospital, then both of us would have been arrested for drinking underage. We both would have gone to jail. Shouldn't you be thanking me for saving her ass?"

Spencer deflated. "Harper, I'm sorry, I just-"

"If anyone else had found her, she _would_ be in jail. And I'm fine too, thanks for asking."

"Harper, I-"

"I'm going to get a coffee," Harper declared as she stood up. "I'll be back later." With that, she stormed out of the room, leaving Spencer alone with Aria.

Spencer knelt down by the side of the bed, tears streaming down her face. Guilt washed over her as she stared into her friend's sleeping face. "Aria," she whimpered, "I'm so sorry. Wake up." She wiped a tear from her cheeks and started full on sobbing. "Please, please, wake up."

The words were like a magic spell. Aria's eyelids started to flutter, and her eyes searched around the room. "Spence," she whispered softly that it was almost inaudible. "Where . . am I? What ha- happe. . . "

"Shhhh," Spencer whispered, kissing Aria's forehead. "It's okay. You're safe now. I'm keeping you safe." Spencer coughed once, holding back her sobs now. She refused to let Aria see her crumble. "Just like you took care of me when I was sick. I'm going to take care off you."

"Spencer, what happened last night?" Aria whispered. "I don't remember anything. How did I get here?"

"I'll explain later," Spencer whispered gently. "Just, right now, I. . . . I need to hold you." Spencer climbed into the bed next to Aria, wrapping her long arms around the tiny girl. She pulled the blanket up over herself and Aria, and snuggled into her friend's warmth. She squeezed Aria like she was a teddy bear, not letting go for anything or anyone.

Aria was too weak to put up a fight and only managed to whisper, "Spence, what's wrong? Did some one hurt you?"

"Nope," Spencer responded, her chin quivering. "But some one hurt you. And believe me, that is much, much worse."


	8. Chapter 8

Aria winced as she knocked on the door of Ezra's new apartment. The sound was like a million guns firing. She just wanted to go back to her dorm and crawl into bed, but Ezra had been looking forward to this date since she moved in. They hardly got to see each other anymore, so Ezra had decided to cook her dinner and treat her to a movie. But having woken up mere hours ago with a killer hangover after nearly being raped, Aria wasn't really in a really in a romantic mood.

He was so excited for this date that Aria couldn't say no to him. They had barely seen each other since being here, and she was dying to reconnect. Sometimes it was nice having this distance apart, but lately she had really been missing him, especially after everything that had been happening. She needed him, needed him to lean on, but she couldn't let him see her right now.

Ezra answered the door, looking sexy as always in a tight t-shirt and jeans that fit him perfectly, but his cute smile fell when he saw Aria. "Sweetie, you look terrible," he said sizing her up.

"Thanks," Aria mumbled as she pushed up her over-sized sunglasses. "I needed to hear that." She knew that she looked horrific. Her hair was in a messy ponytail with strands falling everywhere, she was dressed in sweats (and NOT the cute kind), and she didn't have on a speck of makeup. She caught sight of her appearance only once before she left, and she looked like death.

"Baby, are you sick?" Ezra whispered, whisking her inside. He walked her over to the couch and felt her forehead. "You don't feel warm."

"Ezra, stop," she said. "I just have a really bad headache. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" he said tenderly, rubbing her shoulder. "I heard at a faculty meeting that there is some horrible stomach virus going around the dorms."

She shook her slowly. "No, my head just really hurts," she whimpered. The words even hurt as they left her mouth; she was so dehydrated that her tongue felt like sandpaper. "Is it okay if we skip the movie and just hang out here?"

"Of course," Ezra declared, kissing her forehead. "Anything that you want." Just then, the oven timer beeped. "Sounds like dinner's ready."

"You cooked?" she said, surprised. She knew that anything that involved a kitchen was a giant struggle for him.

"You're worth it," he said with a smile. Ezra ran to grab the food from the oven while Aria shakily walked over the his kitchen table. This apartment was bigger and nicer than his last one, and everything felt wrong. She was used to his dinky little one-room space, not this bigger, grown up dwelling. It felt too mature for a silly little college student.

"Dinner is served," Ezra announced proudly as he set a casserole dish on the table. "Vegetarian lasagna from scratch."

"Wow," breathed Aria. "It smells amazing." It actually didn't; Aria felt like she was going to vomit. She still felt queasy after her bucket of booze the night before, but Ezra _never_ cooked. It was a struggle for him to make ramen, and this lasagna was quite an accomplishment.

Aria tried to smile under her giant sunglasses, but her head was still pounding. Ezra looked at her expectantly when he placed a square of lasagna on her plate, dripping cheese and chunks of vegetables. He would know something was up if she didn't eat it, so she tenderly dug her fork in and yanked out a piece. She cleared her throat, trying to ignore her stomach twisting at the scent, and shoved it in her mouth.

The minute she swallowed, her stomach rebelled and sent her flying to the toilet. Her sunglasses fell off her face as she dashed towards the bathroom and collapsed on the floor, emptying the contents of her stomach. It was mostly stomach acid, but Aria could still taste the bitter vodka as it left her mouth.

She tried to push Ezra away as he knelt behind her, rubbing her shoulders, but he wouldn't move. "Go awaaayyyy," she moaned between heaves.

"Not a chance," he whispered, kissing the back of her neck tenderly while tickling her spine gently. She stopped after a few minutes of gagging, and tears tenderly rolled down her cheeks. "Shhhhhh, you're okay," he whispered. He grabbed a piece of toilet paper and wiped her mouth for her like she was a baby.

"Go awaayyyy," she moaned again. "I don't want you to see me like this."

Ezra shook his head and tossed the piece of toilet paper in the trash, completely ignoring her. "I'm here," he said tenderly, flushing the toilet. "It's okay. I'll always be here."

Against her will, Ezra scooped up tiny Aria into his arms and carried her back to the couch. In his arms, Aria felt limp and stiff at the same time. He gently placed her on the couch, draped a blanket over her shaking body, and picked up his cell. "I'm calling a doctor," he said, punching numbers into a phone.

"Nooooo," Aria groaned, struggling to sit up. "Ezra, I'm fine."

"Aria," Ezra said as he gently pressed her back down, "You're not fine." It was now that he noticed her eyes. He hadn't seen them before because they had been covered by her sunglasses. But now he could see that they were bloodshot and bright red, a strong contrast to her pale, lifeless face.

"Shit, Aria," he whispered, pressing her hand to her cheek. It felt cold and leathery on his own soft skin. "You need to get to a doctor. You look terrible."

"No!" she cried, shaking her head back and forth forcefully. "I just have a headache, I told you!"

"Aria, you're sick. We need to get you some-"

"EZRA, I SAID NO!" she screamed. Tears streamed down her face as she grabbed his cellphone from him.

"Aria, what's going on?" Ezra cried, stepping back from her. "Why don't you want to go to a doctor?"

"Because I'm not sick!"

"Yes, you are, you just threw up-"

"That's because I'm hungover!"

Ezra's mouth hung open as he stared at her. "You can't be serious," he said simply. "I. . . . . I. . . I _sincerely_ hope you're lying to me."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know you told me not to drink, but-"

"BUT NOTHING, ARIA!" Ezra exploded. "Do I even have to tell you how STUPID that is? How on EARTH did you get your hands on alcohol? And don't say it's a fake ID, because you look like you're fourteen."

Aria's mouth dropped open. THAT was mean. He knew that she was insecure about her size. "EXCUSE me?" she screeched. "I was at a party at the Alpha Theta Beta-"

"You went to an ALPHA party?" Ezra screamed. "Aria, do you know how many girls have been RAPED at those parties? Something could have happened to you!"

Aria tried to fight the pink blush spreading on her cheek. If only he knew that something DID happen to her. There was nothing she wanted more than to confess what happened to him and let him cuddle her and ease her fears. But she couldn't let him win this fight. "Ezra, I'm not just some little girl who needs protection. Besides, it's your fault in the first place that I was drunk!"

"WHAT? How are you making this MY fault?"

_Because you were the one driving me to drink_. But she didn't say that, only puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "Well, you told me to experience new things in college! New kinds of people, maybe new kinds of boys even."

Ezra gaped at her. "I'm sorry?"

"You heard me," she said. It was a direct threat. "Maybe if you're trying out new kinds of girls, then I should try out new boys. I mean, there were plenty at the party last night who were interested."

"Aria, I haven't looked at a single girls in two years!" Ezra declared. "You know that. Why are you questioning me?"

Aria swallowed, nervous. Were those kids at the party wrong? "You told me to get out there. To experience new things."

"Aria, I told you to experience new things, not to be a slut!" The words flew out of his mouth before he could think. Too late, he realized Aria's face was crumpling, completely in shock. "Aria, baby, I'm sorry."

Aria stood up angrily, her chin quivering. It took all her will power not to break down crying. "Enjoy your lasagna," she said bitterly as she angrily stalked out the door. She didn't turn back to hear Ezra calling for her, apologizing, cursing his big mouth.

As soon as she got off his floor, she crumpled to the floor in the stairwell, tears streaming down her face. She tucked her legs under her arms while she cried, shaking so badly she thought the was having a seizure.

This wasn't how her life was supposed to go. She wasn't supposed to be fighting with Ezra. She wasn't supposed to be taking care of Spencer for the rest of her life. She wasn't supposed to need protecting from bad guys.

It wasn't fair. Just because she made the mistake of befriending Spencer, she had been saddled with this life. _Don't ever say that. It's not a mistake_, she told herself. Spencer was the best friend she had in the world, the only person she was sure she loved for the longest time.

They used to be good friends, normal friends. They would talk about boys and movies and celebrities. They'd give each other make overs and whine about periods. Before the accident, they were just two best friends. Before the accident, everything was perfect.

But now, she hated this. Her life was run by her love for Spencer. Ever since the accident, she had devoted her entire life to helping Spencer move past it all. The only reason she even WENT to that party was to help Spencer loosen up. She couldn't take care of Spencer's problems for the rest of her life; she needed to deal with her own first.

As if to remind her of that fact, her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. "Please, not now," she whispered, reaching for her phone.

But she knew who the message was from before she even opened it. "Please don't be A."

But it was. It was the one problem that she couldn't tell anyone. Not her parents, not Ezra, not her friends, and ESPECIALLY not Spencer. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket as she read the message:

**Oops, I guess partying isn't as fun as it seems. Next time double check your sources before you start slutting it up. -A**


	9. Chapter 9

**In response to a comment from liberal4peace regarding Emily and Hanna, I will say this: not everything in Rosewood is as it seems, and not everything the Aria and Spencer say is true. They aren't called liars for nothing. In the next three of four chapters, there will be some very big reveals about the accident, especially a big one regarding Emily and Hanna. Don't worry, you will not be sobbing through this story. My goal is to intrigue people, not to make them cry :)  
**

* * *

"Did you talk to Aria this morning?" asked Spencer as she and Harper walked to their history class.

"I got a hello and a goodbye." Harper shrugged as she hiked her backpack further up her back. "She's barely spoken to me since the party."

"I'm worried about her," Spencer admitted. "She's been kind of out if it since, well, you know. . . . " Aria had barely spoken to her since she woken up. Spencer tried not to pry when Aria came home from her date with Ezra with red eyes, but she hated knowing that Aria was hurting.

"Spence," Harper said tenderly, "I think you should give her some space. She went through a lot last weekend. It takes more than four days to get over that kind of thing."

"I know," Spencer mumbled, "But she's sleeping on a blow up mattress in our room. How distant can I get?"

"Stop crawling into her bed at night, maybe," said Harper, trying to to roll her eyes. "I know that's she's been having nightmares, but she can get through them."

"Well, she's moving back into her room tonight. I won't be able to get into her bed anymore."

Harper rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant, Spencer. I mean you should stop being so damn clingy. Aria is a grown girl. Give her some breathing room. You hold onto her like she'd run away if you let go. You know she loves you, right? She won't leave you."

Spencer swallowed. "It's not that, it's just that. . . . I'm afraid to lose another friend after everything that's happened." After the accident. After she lost Emily and Hanna. After she lost Toby. She couldn't lose anyone else.

"Oh," whispered Harper awkwardly. "Spence, I didn't mean-"

"I'm sorry, Harper. I shouldn't have said that. It's just that. . . . I'm afraid that every moment I spend with her is the last. I've already lost too many people I care about. " Spencer was surprised that she blurted this out. She was already extremely close with her roommate, but she couldn't tell her EVERYTHING. She hadn't even talked about the accident with her.

But she swore to herself that she wouldn't talk about it with ANYONE. Not the truth, anyways. The decorated version, sure: her friends had died in a car crash, and that was that. Every thing seemed to remind of what happened, what she did to everyone she loved. What she did that night.

Harper nodded thoughtfully before averting her gaze towards a crowd of boys passing by. They were all wearing matching T-shirts bearing the logo for the Alpha house. Suddenly, Harper was on full alert. The mystery boy from that night, the one who saved Aria. Was he in the crowd?

"Why are ogling the Alpha boys?" asked Spencer. "They're all kind of dicks."

"I was. . . looking for one of them," said Harper the two girls slipped into their lecture hall. "Some one who I think I know."

Spencer smiled at her knowingly. "What's he look like?"

Harper blushed; she couldn't remember the face of the boy who helped Aria at all. She was so drunk. But there was one detail she remembered specifically. "I don't remember; I was kind of wasted. He has the most amazing eyes."

Eyes.

Suddenly, Spencer felt weak and dizzy. She pressed her hand to the wall, holding her up for support. She closed her eyes as the memories of the accident swirled through her, memories of the eyes. The eyes.

"Spence, you okay?" Harper's voice sounded distant. _Hold it together, _Spencer told herself. _Don't slip down._ How could Harper have known that something as simple as the word "eyes" would trigger her into a sea of flashbacks of the accident, swarming around her like killer bees?

"I'm okay," she whimpered, straightening herself up. "I think I'm just coming down with something." Not a lie; she'd been feeling queasy all morning. But that hadn't caused her episode just now. She suppressed all of her memories of the eyes, letting them drift away. _You have to forget,_ she told herself. _It's gone. It's done. It's over. The eyes are gone._

"Harper, Spencer, we have a sub," a girl named Samantha, another student in the WASH program, reported as the two of them slid into their seats. "Professor Simon had her baby."

"Really? Who's the temp?" asked Spencer as she dug through her backpack.

"Some girl she knew in college," reported Samantha. "I've never seen her before.

Spencer shrugged and continued to dig through her backpack. She couldn't seem to find her notebook. She didn't even look up when she heard the new professor come in.

But suddenly, she felt Harper grab her knee and squeezed sharply. "Spencer," she whispered quietly, "She looks so familiar. Isn't she. . . ."

"Hello, I'm your substitute professor." The voice was familiar, so so so familiar, and it sent shivers down Spencer's spine. She looked up to see a ghost from her past, sanding and staring at the class, but also directly at her. "My name is Melissa Hastings."

Spencer felt like she was going to vomit. How could this be happening? How could MELISSA be subbing her class? She swore to herself that she would never speak to Melissa again after everything she put her through. Suddenly, she found herself flashing back to the night of the accident again, but long before she saw the eyes. She relived the moment when everything with Melissa reached a breaking point.

* * *

"_How could you?" Melissa screeched. Spencer was still reeling backwards after the sharp slap Melissa delivered to her cheek. She was furiously trying to yank her shirt down over her bare chest, but Melissa ran up to her and grabbed her wrist. "Why cover up?" she yelled. "I already know what a slut you are."_

_"Please, Melissa, try to understand," Spencer wailed. Her sister's sharp nails dug into her skin, and she was pretty sure she was bleeding._

_"Understand WHAT?" Melissa howled. "That you were going to sleep with my boyfriend?"_

_"NO, Melissa!" Spencer did nothing to hide the tears streaming down her face. Melissa's eyes were locked on her like a predator's. "I wasn't going to sleep with him. I swear, I wasn't!"_

_"Like bullshit you weren't," Melissa growled, pinning Spencer up against the wall. "Wren was MINE. Just because your boyfriend was some kind of fucked up psycho-"_

_"SHUT UP!" Spencer howled, kicking her knee up into Melissa crotch. But Melissa didn't even flinch, just pressed Spencer into the wall even harder._

_"I have spent my whole life," Melissa hissed, "Taking care of you. 'Watch out for Spencer. Be nice to Spencer. Be the mature one, Melissa. Spencer's just a little girl.' Well I am DONE with this. You are eighteen fucking years old, Spencer. You can't keep ruining people's lives."_

_"YOU'RE THE ONE RUINING PEOPLE'S LIVES," sobbed Spencer. "You've been bullying me, treating me like shit for EVER."_

_Melissa leaned in close to her sobbing sister, her lips curled in a sneer. "But don't you deserve it?" she whispered. "After everything that you put your friends through. After what you did to Alison. After what happened with Toby-"_

_"FUCK YOU!" Spencer sobbed. Hearing his name shot anger through Spencer's heart. Adrenaline surged through her and she punched Melissa in the nose. Melissa jumped back, blood pouring down her face as it rocketed out of her nostrils._

_"Girls?" cried Veronica Hastings as she burst through the door. "I saw Wren running out. What on Earth is going on?" She sized up her two daughters- Spencer was sobbing hysterically, and Melissa was bleeding ridiculously._

_Melissa found the words faster than Spencer did. She gave Spencer a sinister smile before bursting into tears and rushing straight to her mother. "Mom," she cried. "She touched Wren. How COULD she?"_

_"Spencer," Mrs. Hastings asked sharply as she hugged her elder daughter. "What on Earth did you do?"_

_"I caught them getting naked together, and she freaked out and punched me," Melissa declared. "Mom, I loved him. How COULD she?"_

_"Mommy, no," Spencer whimpered. "I- I didn't-"_

_"SPENCER," barked her mother. "I'm sorry, but this is unacceptable."_

_"Mommy, stop," Spencer cried. She could literally feel her heart ripping into pieces. "I would never-"_

_"STOP," her mother declared, holding out a hand. "You can't keep lashing out against your sister like this. I'm afraid your father and I are going to have to take action."_

_"MOMMY," Spencer said a final time. "Please listen."_

_"I can't, Spencer. I just can't." With that, her mother walked out the door with a sobbing Melissa. Spencer nearly vomited, yanking a pillow off her bed and pressing it to her mouth. She screamed as she fell to the floor, hollering into the pillow. It was in that second she realized what needed to be done. What she had to do._

* * *

"I'll be with your class until Mrs. Simon finished her maternity leave," Melissa declared. "So, we better start being friends." She looked directly at Spencer and said simply, "Because if we spend the next six months as enemies, it will be painful for ALL of us."

It already was.


	10. Chapter 10

"I don't understand how she's being so cool," whispered Aria. "They have some BAD history together." She was sitting on Spencer's bed, kicking her feet back and forth nervously as Harper relayed the story of the morning's history class. Aria couldn't believe that Spencer was so calm about everything; the Spencer she knew would have ran and hid in a corner.

"Like what?" asked Harper, trying not to press too hard. "She won't tell me a thing."

Aria looked at the floor, not wanting to say anything. "Fighting, rivalry, you name it. It just kind of reached a peak right around the time of the accident."

"She doesn't talk about the accident either," said Harper. She realized that if she wanted to get anything out of anyone, it would have to be Aria. All she knew was that a car accident killed Spencer's best friends a few months ago, but from how Spencer and Aria talked about it, there seemed to be more to the story. "It sounds like it made a really big impression on her."

Aria starred Harper in the eye this time, wanting to be clear. "We're trying to avoid it. It's been painful for both of us, and we want to move on."

"I get that," said Harper shrugging as she flipped through photos on her phone absentmindedly. "But I just wanted to get closer with him."

"Him? What?"

"Oh," whispered Harper. "I. . . uh. . ."

"Is there a guy I should know about?" said Aria seductively.

Harper blushed and said, "Okay, I know it's weird, but. . . that guy who carried you back here Friday night. . ."

"Yeah?"

Harper looked at Aria and said, "I want to see him again."

"Oh," Aria whispered, unsure of what to say. "Do you have his name? His number?"

"No. . . but, he said he'd be at the next Alpha party this Friday. I want to go back and find him-"

"Harper," interrupted Aria. "You- You can't ask me to go back there." Aria felt like she was going to vomit just thinking about it. There was no way, no way should be ever go back to the Alpha house.

"I'm not, I'm not. I might ask Spencer. But I need to see him again. There was just this. . . . CONNECTION between us. I can't explain it."

Aria looked at her skeptically and said, "Harper, you barely talked to him for thirty minutes. What makes you so sure that something happened?" Aria was done with other people talking about love. After watching how Toby betrayed Spencer, she felt like she couldn't understand what love for other people was anymore.

Harper looked at Aria dreamily and said, "I could just tell. There was something about him. He isn't like other guys. He's-"

Before Harper could finish, Samantha poked her head in the door. Harper and Aria had left it ajar incase Spencer forgot her key, something that had been happening a lot lately. "Hey, Harper, isn't Spencer your roommate?"

"Yeah, why?"

"She's throwing up in the girls bathroom."

"Shit," Aria whispered. She flew out the door to the bathroom, calling Spencer's name, Harper following after her nervously. They found Spencer standing over one of the sinks, splashing water on her face.

"Spence, are you okay?" Aria whispered nervously as she stepped close to Spencer. "Tell me what happened. What's wrong, Spencer? Tell me, it's okay."

Spencer was visibly shaking as she bent over the sink. She looked like she would fall over at any moment. But still, she shook her head. "Aria, I'm fine."

"Spence, talk to me. What's wrong?"

Spencer shrugged and said simply, "I think I'm just actually sick."

Aria wasn't immediately sure. Right after the accident, Spencer couldn't hold down any food. She lost tons of weight and had serious health problems. After she got over that, she would still vomit when she got seriously dizzy, or during a bad panic attack. Aria was afraid that she was having an episode right now and was too proud to admit it.

"I heard there's some stomach virus going around the dorms," Harper interrupted, rubbing Spencer's back tenderly. Spencer nodded weakly.

"Spence, are you sure that's it?" Aria whispered. "It's okay. You can tell me if-"

"Aria, stop," Spencer interrupted. "It's not like that. I just feel like crap and I want to lie down."

"I'm sorry," Aria whispered. "I just worry about you."

"Well, don't," barked Spencer. "I'm fine, I promise." Aria took a step back, wounded.

"Let's just get you to bed," said Harper, noticing the tension. The two girls led Spencer back to her room, where she collapsed in bed.

As soon as Spencer lay down, Aria sprung into action, simultaneously dialing her cellphone, digging through Spencer's drawers for something, and draping a blanket over Spencer's shivering body. "Hi, Doctor Sullivan?" Aria said into the phone as she slipped a thermometer into Spencer's mouth. "Spencer's sick. What do you think we should do?"

Harper looked at Aria, totally confused. Aria sat down on the edge of Spencer's bed, gently ruffling her friend's hair. _What_? thought Harper. _Weren't they just snapping at each other a few seconds ago?_

Suddenly, Aria whisked the thermometer from Spencer's mouth and read the number into the phone: "101.6," she reported. "So, take her off the pills?"

Aria listened thoughtfully, nodding like a bobble head. Finally, she checked her watch and said, "I'll keep her off for 48 hours. I'll call you if I need anything. Yup. Yup. Thanks Anne."

"Who was that?" asked Harper when Aria hung up the phone.

"Spencer's doctor. Some of the medication she takes for her. . . kidney transplant can weaken her immune system. She needs to go off them until she gets better. Which means I'm staying another night."

"No," moaned Spencer. "I'm fine. You don't have to stay."

"Spence, what if something. . . happens?" Aria protested, choosing her words carefully. "I should be here."

Harper was beyond confused. There was some kind of weird energy going on here between Aria and Spencer, but she couldn't understand why. "Aria, if we need you, I can call you. You don't have to stay here."

"Spencer needs me to stay here," Aria declared, trying to hide her anger.

Aria shot Harper a death glare that Harper didn't understand. What was going on? There was something happening Harper had no idea about, and she wasn't okay with it.

"Okay, if you want," said Harper with a shrug. She would find out whatever was going on tonight if it killed her.

So that night, as Aria tucked Spencer into bed without her taking her medication, Harper watched the two of them carefully. They were keeping a secret from her, she could tell. The way they bounced between anger and love and snapping like children and hugging like an old married couple. This was more than friendship, more than sisterhood. Something happened between the two of them, but Harper couldn't even begin to guess what.

She would only begin to guess in a few hours.

* * *

Harper stirred in her bed as a low-pitched scream ripped across the room. Harper sat up, confused and sleepy, as screams and sobs filled the air. She sat up dizzily and squinted in the darkness to see Spencer kicking and screaming in her sleep.

At the same time, Aria blinked into consciousness. When she heard Spencer's wails, she flashed back to many nights like this one where she woke up to find Spencer in hysterics. Part of Aria knew that it was because Spencer was off her medications, but another part of her thought, _No. Please no. It can't start again._

Instinctively, Aria leapt into Spencer's bed and started to shake her friend's shoulders. "Spencer," she whispered urgently. "Wake up, baby. Wake up. Spencer, wake up."

Harper sat up on the edge of her bed and slung her feet over the floor. "She having a nightmare?" asked Harper, clearing her throat.

Suddenly, as if to answer Harper, Spencer sat up suddenly. She gasped loudly and began breathing heavily. "Stay with me, Spence," commanded Aria trying to grab Spencer's shoulders. "Don't go there. Stay with me, baby."

But it was too late. Even from the distance, Harper could see Spencer's eye roll back in her head. She screamed once before backing up against the wall her bed was next to. She tucked her knees into her chest and started to breathe fast and hard.

"Aria, what's wrong with her?" shrieked Harper. "Is she okay?"

Aria nodded. "She's just having a panic attack." She leaned in towards Spencer and tried to grab her friend's shoulders, but Spencer shoved Aria away. Aria went sprawling off the bed, her arm smacking against the floor hard.

"Aria!" cried Harper. "Are you okay?" She jumped up from her bed and ran over to Aria, who was tenderly rubbing her arm.

"I'm okay," Aria insisted, rubbing her sore arm. She stood up and went over to Spencer again, this time sitting on the bed in front of her.

"Aria, let her be," said Harper. "Just leave her alone."

Aria shook her head, staring at Spencer. She placed a hand on Spencer's knee. "What did you see, baby? What did you see? What did you dream about?" Spencer didn't answer, just kept crying. "What was it? Was it him? Did he hurt you? Was it Melissa? A hoodie? Tell me what you saw, baby."

It sounded like nonsense to Harper. Who was _he_? What hoodie? It took her a second to realize that Aria was asking what Spencer had dreamed about. Spencer let out a low wail before declaring what was haunting her: "The eyes."

"Oh, Spencer," Aria said softly. This time, she gently moved in towards Spencer and wrapped her arms around her. "I'm right here," she insisted. "The eyes are gone. It's all over."

"Hanna!" she wailed. "Emily! No! Please!" But Aria hugged her even tighter.

"Shhh, it's okay," she whispered. "They're okay. They're fine. So am I. So are you. We're all fine."

"The . . . the eyes!" Spencer cried again. "The eyes!" she wailed, unable to breathe for a moment between choking out sobs. "How could he do this to me? To Emily, to Hanna? How could Toby do this?" Spencer kept screaming, unaware of the world around her. "HOW COULD HE?"

"It's over," insisted Aria. "It's all over. The eyes are gone. They're gone, and I'm here."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, I'm going out of town for a couple days and won't have internet, so this story will be on hiatus for about a week. Next update should be next week sometime from Sunday to Tuesday. It's possible I may be able to update Thursday as well, so I'll try. Same goes for my other story.**

* * *

Several hours later, Spencer awoke to find herself drenched in sweat. She was lying on her stomach on top of Aria, who was patiently staring at her, as if only waiting for Spencer to wake up. Everything part of Spencer's body hurt: her muscles, her stomach, her head. Worst of all, she had no idea what had happened to her last night. All she could remember was that something bad happened.

"Hey," Aria said in a tired voice. "You're awake."

"Aria?" Spencer whispered. "What happened?"

"Spencer, you-" Harper started to say. Spencer now noticed that Harper was sitting at the foot of her bed nervously, her legs crossed.

Aria interrupted her. "You didn't feel well," Aria declared. She touched Spencer forehead gently and said, "You still have a fever. You threw up last night, remember?"

Spencer nodded vaguely, although she honestly didn't. "How long was I asleep for? What time is it?"

"About nine," said Harper, checking her watch.

"NINE?" gasped Spencer. "I need. . . I need to take my meds."

"Shhhh," Aria whispered. "It's okay. Doctor Sullivan said to stay off them until you feel better. She said to stay here, and to not to go to classes."

"Classes," Spencer breathed. "Aren't you guys late?"

Harper shook her head. "I don't start today for another hour," she declared.

"And I'm staying here," said Aria simply. "I talk to. . . Professor Fitz, and he said he would deal with my Professors."

"You don't have to skip class for me, Aria," insisted Spencer. She coughed softly before repeating, "You really don't."

"Yes, I do," whispered Aria. "I'm ALWAYS going to take care of you, Spencer. Always."

Spencer tried to sit up, but instantly felt nauseous. "Ughhh," she mumbled, collapsing back down into Aria's arms. Suddenly, memories of last night started surfacing. "I threw up," Spencer said out loud, realizing it. "And, you slept here. . . . and I. . ." _Oh shit,_ she thought. The memory was finally hitting her. "I had a panic attack?"

Aria swallowed. "Just a little one-"

"ARIA!" Spencer cried. "I had a panic attack again? Oh, God, I can't keep doing this to you. I'm sorry, Aria." Spencer started to cry, pressing a pillow to her face.

Harper started to say something, but Aria held up her hand. "Spence," she cooed, gently placing a hand on Spencer's back. "Don't worry about me. It only happened because you're off your medication. It's okay, calm down."

Spencer started to relax, so Aria helped her lay back down. "You want some water?" asked Aria, rubbing Spencer's shoulder. Spencer nodded weakly, and Aria carefully stood up to get it.

"I'll come with you," insisted Harper, following Aria out the door. As soon as they had left, Harper grabbed Aria by the shoulder and pulled her into the lounge on their floor. Thankfully, it was empty at this time of day.

"Okay, what happened last night?" asked Harper, crossing her arms. "She had a panic attack!"

Aria closed her eyes and sighed softly. "She. . . . when Spencer goes off of her meds, it sometimes messes with her brain chemistry. She just had a nightmare."

Harper looked sternly at Aria, not buying it. "It sounded horrible," said Harper. She couldn't believe that dream was just wacked out brain chemistry. "What was she dreaming about?" She remembered the words Spencer kept screaming: "The eyes." What were the eyes? WHOSE eyes?

"The accident," said Aria sadly. "The car accident that. . . killed them."

"Oh," whispered Harper. "I'm sorry." That explained the horrid nightmares. For God's sake, Aria didn't have to lie and make something up about Spencer's kidney transplant. It's okay to admit she still had nightmares!

Aria said nothing, only puffed out her cheeks for a minute. "Aria, what exactly happened?" She had been dying to know for as long as she'd known it happened. The details were vague for her: those girls in Spencer's photo had died in a car crash, and it ruined Spencer and Aria's lives.

That was it. That was all she knew.

Aria didn't respond for a moment, considering. "I'm sorry, Aria, I didn't mean to pry-"

"No, it's okay," said Aria. "It was winter, and the roads were covered in ice. We were all in a car together, me and Spencer in the backseat. And. . . we went off a bridge."

"Oh my God," whispered Harper. "I had no idea that. . . you and Spencer. . . "

"Survived?" finished Aria. "The doctors said it was a miracle. I almost didn't make it; I was in a coma for more than a week. But somehow, Spencer got out without a scratch. And it eats her alive."

Harper nodded grimly. "That must have been horrible for her."

"It was," whispered Aria softly. She bit her lip before continuing. "It killed her inside. Before I woke up, she thought she was the only survivor. She didn't want to have to live with that, knowing that somehow, she was the lucky one while her friends weren't. And it didn't helped that she thought the accident was her fault."

"How?" whispered Harper. "How could it have been her fault. You said she wasn't even driving."

"She wasn't." Emily was actually behind the wheel that night, driving as fast and furious as a racecar driver. Sometimes, Aria couldn't help but imagine what would have happened if she had been in that driver's seat, if she had wound up like Emily.

* * *

_"Hurry, we've got to hurry," cried Hanna, jumping the passenger seat of the car._

_"Aria let's go," insisted Emily. Aria was frozen in the middle of the drive way, unable to move. Her arms and legs had turned to jelly; she couldn't move. But her hands were tightly yanked around the keys to the car. "ARIA, WE NEED TO HURRY!"_

_But Aria collapsed into sobs. She couldn't do this. Oh God, she couldn't do this. "C'mon, Aria, don't do this now," insisted Emily. At another moment, she would have slowed down to hug Aria, to calm her down. But they had no time for that now. They needed to hurry._

_"Aria, do you want me to drive?" Emily said, practically yanking the keys out of Aria's hands. Aria nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks, before hopping into the back seat next to Spencer._

_Emily jumped in the driver's seat, shoved the key into the car, and the vehicle roared to life._

* * *

It was too painful to think about.

"Then how is it Spencer's fault?"

Something inside Aria felt cold. No matter how close she was to Harper, no matter how kind this girl was being, she couldn't tell her why. "Spencer. . . . was. . . the one who wanted us to take that route," Aria lied. She knew it was not very convincing, but Harper was so desperate for answers that she would believe everything Aria spat out. "She was the one who said she knew a shortcut to . . . where we were going. She thinks that if she had suggested a different route, the accident would never have happened."

"Oh God," said Harper. "That's horrible."

"It was," whispered Aria. If only she knew the truth of why Spencer REALLY blamed herself for the girls going off that bridge.

"And she was okay?"

"Oh, yeah," said Aria. "Somehow, she didn't get hurt at all. But she was never REALLY okay after it."

"I'm so sorry," whispered Harper. "I am, really."

"It's okay," said Aria simply. "We're getting through it."

But Harper still had one final question. "Hey, what are they eyes?"

"The what?"

"That's what Spencer kept saying last night," Harper said. "The eyes. What was she talking about?"

Inside, Aria froze. She had absolutely no idea how to explain the eyes. But suddenly, something caught her attention, and she gasped. "Aria? What's wrong?"

But suddenly, Aria couldn't breathe, couldn't move. She watched a lone figure walk stealthily down the hallway and ran after it.

"Aria?" called Harper. "Where are you going? Wait, is that-?"

"SHH!" growled Aria. She kept stalking after the figure as the person walked down the hall, right towards Spencer and Harper's room. Just as the person tried to open the door, Aria ran up and yelled, "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

The figure turned around to face Aria, flashing a victorious smile. It was Melissa.


	12. Chapter 12

"Aria?" said Melissa with a smile. "Good to see you! What are you doing here?"

"Well, I do live in this dorm," said Aria, her head cocked to the side. "I should ask you the same question. Shouldn't you be off in the woods somewhere, drinking the blood of the innocent?"

Melissa's smile didn't waver. "I'm a professor, not a vampire. And I was hoping to get a warmer welcome. So, how have classes been treating you?"

"Cut the bullshit," snarled Aria. She pulled away as Melissa tried to hug her.

"Now, Aria," Melissa said in a chastising tone, "We are sisters, after all. We should act like it."

"STEP-sisters," hissed Aria. "HALF step-sisters. Now what the fuck are you doing here?"

Melissa shot Aria a victorious smile. "I heard that you and Spencer didn't show up for class. Tuition here costs a fortune, and _my_ mother is paying for both of you to go here. I'd hate for it to go to waste it by you two ditching class."

"Spencer's sick," Aria growled. She took a predatory step towards Melissa. "And I'm taking care of her."

"She is?" Melissa said with mock surprise- well, at least Aria thought it was pretend. She could never tell anything about Melissa anymore. "What's wrong?"

"Stomach flu. But she's getting better." A lie; Spencer was the farthest thing from better. But she couldn't show Melissa any weakness. "I've got everything under control. She'll be better in no time."

"Well, then, I guess you can get to class," said Melissa simply. "I can stay with her."

"Melissa-"

"I AM her sister, after all. Her REAL sister."

Aria's heart suddenly snapped. THAT was a line crossed. Although it had only been legal for a few months, she and Spencer had been sisters since long before their parent's marriage. She could remember all too well the nights when Spencer would stay over, trying to avoid Melissa. She remembered Spencer tip-toeing around Melissa and trying to hide. Spencer deserved better than that. She deserved some one who loved her, cared about her. And that was Aria.

"Listen, Melissa," growled Aria. "I am more of a sister to Spencer than you have EVER been. Were you there for her after the accident? Were you there holding her while she cried? Did you drive her to therapy at 3 in the morning when she broke down? Did you even CARE? No, you didn't. I am the one who has been here, holding her hand and keeping her safe. I am the one who LOVES her. You don't know what it MEANS to be a sister."

Melissa froze for a moment, unable to respond. But suddenly, she cleared her throat. "Well, I can start to learn," Melissa declared evenly, "While you get to class."

"No, you won't," growled Aria, throwing the weight of her body against the door so Melissa couldn't open it. "You listen to me, Melissa. I love Spencer too much to let you hurt her again. If you think I am going to let you anywhere NEAR her, then-"

"No," said Melissa. She took a step towards Aria, staring the smaller girl straight in the eye. "You listen to me. I am here to take care of Spencer because _I_ am her big sister. We grew up together. _You_ are just her friend, and a student. A student who will be expelled for ditching class if you don't head over there soon."

"You don't have that kind of power," Aria said, her eyes narrow.

"Don't I?" said Melissa, fishing a business card out of her purse. She showed it to Aria: Melissa Hastings. Professor. Honor Committee, Head Chair. "I got a promotion," said Melissa, victoriously. "I'm head of the Honor Committee, which means I get to decide who is breaking school rules. Who gets expelled, if you catch my drift."

Aria turned pale. "What are you saying?" she whispered, trying not to show her fear.

"I'm saying that if you don't head to class now, than you will have some serious consequences. Now I suggest you get going."

Aria couldn't breath for a moment before she angrily spun around and paced away. It was killing her to leave Melissa with Spencer, but she knew that she couldn't do anything if she was expelled. She angrily broke into a run, tears threatening in her eyes, as Melissa walked into Spencer's room.

"Spencer? Sweetie? You awake?" Melissa whispered as Spencer stirred in bed. Spencer rolled over, her eyes searching, until her gaze landed on her sister, standing over the edge of her bed.

"Melissa?" Spencer whispered, sitting up slowly. She tried not to show fear. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were sick," she softly, taking a step closer.

"Who'd you hear that from? Did you bug my room?"

Melissa pouted. "No. Doctor Sullivan called Mom, who called me." Melissa sat down on the bed and placed her hand on Spencer's forehead gently. "You feel really warm."

Spencer angrily swatted Melissa's hand away. It felt like cold leather on her sweaty forehead. "Go away. Aria should be back soon."

"Aria?" said Melissa. She shook her head. "No, I just talked to her. She's heading to class and asked me to stay with you."

"What?" Spencer gasped. How could she do that? Aria KNEW how Spencer felt about Melissa. How could she just abandon her? She would rather die alone slowly and painfully than have Melissa take care of her.

"Melissa, I'm fine. I don't need you to stay." Spencer sat up angrily, trying to prove her point and push Melissa away, but it did more harm than good. The sudden movement made her stomach twist, and her face turned green.

"Oh God," whispered Melissa, and she grabbed the trash can that set next to Spencer's bed. She held it up to Spencer's chin as Spencer spat stomach acid into the basket, heaving violently. Melissa positioned herself behind Spencer and rubbed her back in slow circles, trying to be comforting.

"Go away," Spencer moaned. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Melissa said softly, caressing the side of Spencer's face. She grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and wiped the corner of Spencer's mouth in a motherly way. "Spence, I'm here for you. I'm your sister, and I love you."

"You're lying," Spencer growled between heavy breathes. "You don't love me. You don't."

"People change," Melissa insisted. "I want to make it up to you. What I've done. Please Spencer."

Spencer didn't respond as she began to vomit again, leaning back into the trashcan. "I'm here," Melissa insisted, holding it closer to Spencer's chin. "I'll take care of you."

_I mean it_, Melissa thought._ I will take care of you. I will most certainly take care of you._


	13. Chapter 13

**So, I know a bunch of you are wondering about what happened to Emily and Hanna. This is a big reveal, and I hope this chapter answers a few questions while creating a few more. Enjoy, and please review with your theories! I want to know what you think.**

**Also, coming up: *The identity of the mystery guy will be revealed VERY soon! Like, probably the next chapter soon. Theories?* **

* * *

That day, Aria sat fidgeting in class, too distracted to focus. All she could think about was Melissa and what she was doing to Spencer. She was so angry with herself for leaving Spencer, abandoning her. She was silently praying that Spencer would be okay, that Melissa wouldn't hurt her.

Aria was supposed to be researching right now for a paper, but she was too busy Facebook stalking Melissa. According to her profile, she was enjoying her new job, went out to dinner with her friends two nights ago, and was planning a trip to LA.

Suddenly, a message popped up, blocking Melissa's profile page. Aria smiled; it was Hanna. They hadn't talked in a while. Aria had been so busy keeping up her lie about Emily and Hanna being dead that she hadn't remembered to talk to them._ What a twisted problem,_ Aria thought to herself.

HANNA: Heeeeeeeey sexy lady

ARIA: hey han! i miss u xoxox

HANNA: u 2 babe. shouldn't u be busy studying right now?

ARIA: ha ha :p i should be busy sleeping right now. what's up?

HANNA: nm. heard that spence is sick and just wanted to check in

Aria grinned. She knew that Hanna was constantly bored, so she messaged Aria often.

ARIA: who'd u hear that from?

HANNA: dr. sullivan. she checked in on me this morning, just stopping by

ARIA: ah. well she's ok, i hope. just a bad stomach bug.

HANNA: aww poor spence. give her my love and tell her i said 2 feel better

ARIA: i will

Aria sighed softly. Somewhere, Hanna knew that Aria would never be able to tell Spencer that Hanna told her to feel better. Spencer could barely stand to hear either Hanna or Emily's names, so they never talked about their old friends. Aria actually thought Spencer wanted to believe the lie they told Harper, that Emily and Hanna had died in a car crash. But Aria and Hanna kept pretending everything was fine between them, that nothing had changed.

HANNA: so, how is everything else goin? how's ezra?

ARIA: fine

HANNA: just "fine"? ;)

ARIA: we had a fight

Aria sighed and grabbed her cellphone. She scrolled through her list of texts from Ezra: heartfelt apologies, declarations of his love for her, begging her to meet him so they could talk. She didn't know why she didn't want to respond to him. Partially it was because she didn't like confrontation and was already occupied with worrying about Spencer, but part of it was pride. _I don't like admitting that I need someone to take care of me,_ Aria realized as she scrolled through the messages.

But that didn't mean she didn't WANT to be taken care of. It just meant that she didn't like to _need_ it.

HANNA: WHAT? aria, what happened? what's wrong?

ARIA: it's nothing

HANNA: aria, it's not nothing! i'm here. you can talk about it. what happened?

ARIA: it's no big deal, i promise. tell me about you. how r u doin?

HANNA: as good as i can be

ARIA: :/ u seen emily lately?

HANNA: i did actually. just this morning

ARIA: and? how'd it go?

HANNA: she . . . . acknowledged my presence

ARIA: omg han

HANNA: it's nbd

ARIA: it is too! it's progress. u know that

HANNA: i know, it is. it just sucks

ARIA: what does?

HANNA: u know. seeing her and not being able to be best friends

ARIA: i'm sorry han. i wish i could be there every second with u, but spence needs me

HANNA: and i don't? seriously?

ARIA: c'mon han, u know what i mean. ur getting better thou. every time i talk to u or ur mom, ur improving.

HANNA: ik. sorry. i just lashed out. i just really miss emily. this is so hard

ARIA: ik han. i'm sry. but she'll come back, i promise. and i'm here for u, too

HANNA: thanks. i miss u

ARIA: u too, babe

HANNA: so tell me more about school. ur living the dream, girl

ARIA: majoring in art and sleeping on ur step-sister's floor cause ur roommate's a skank is "the dream?" more like the nightmare.

HANNA: rofl. no. be serious. i mean how u got to leave this shit hole town, ur off in college meeting people and going to frat parties.

Aria jaw dropped. FRAT PARTIES? How could Hanna have found out about last Friday? WHO TOLD HER?

ARIA: okay, who told u?

HANNA: who told me what?

ARIA: about the frat party. now come on. how the hell did u find out?

HANNA: what r u talking about? what frat party?

ARIA: um, u know what i'm talking about. stop hanna. how did u find out?

HANNA: i have no idea what ur talking about, i swear. u went to a frat party? when?

Aria's eyes widened. Okay, so maybe Hanna hadn't heard about it. Now that Aria thought about it, the only people who knew what happened that night were Harper and Spencer, and neither of them had any contact with Hanna. Maybe Aria was just a little too sensitive.

ARIA: forget i mentioned it

HANNA: no, seriously. when? how? was there booze? sexy guys? i want details

ARIA: no, no u don't

HANNA: yes, i do. god knows i won't get to go to one ever. i want to know

ARIA: hanna, stop. it's not all it's cracked up 2 be

HANNA: well, i wouldn't know would i? i'll never get to go to 1. y won't u tell me?

ARIA: cause it ended bad. just because u won't get to live ur life doesn't mean u get to live throu mine

_Holy shit_, thought Aria. As soon as she sent the message, she wanted to take it back. She couldn't believe what a bitch she was being! That was hard-core mean. She couldn't believe she could ever say something like that to Hanna. She LOVED Hanna, and it broke Aria's heart to see Hanna constantly depressed and lonely.

ARIA: Hanna, wait. i'm sorry

ARIA: han?

ARIA: hanna please talk to me

HANNA: that was cruel

ARIA: ik, i didn't mean it. i'm so sorry.

HANNA: r u?

ARIA: i am! han, i don't know what i was thinking. i'm sorry

HANNA: u don't have to rub it in. i know i'm never getting out of here

ARIA: u will, han. u just got to keep working

HANNA: i won't, and u know it. we both know i won't get out of here, and that emily won't ever be my friend again.

ARIA: hanna, don't think like that. u can do it. i believe in u

HANNA: thanks, cause no1 else does. not even caleb

ARIA: caleb?

HANNA: u know he comes by every day? yesterday he said that he was going to come back every day for the rest of his life

ARIA: awwwww, han! that's sweet! that's romantic!

HANNA: no, it means he thinks i'm never getting out. he doesn't think i can

Suddenly, Aria's professor clapped his hands, ready to continue with class.

ARIA: han, i gtg. class is starting again. we aren't done here, okay? message me again when u get a chance

HANNA: ok. bye aria

ARIA: bye han. i miss u tons

HANNA: u 2. xoxoxoxo bye

ARIA: bye


	14. Chapter 14

**In case there was any confusion, the big reveal in the last chapter was that Emily and Hanna are, in fact, alive. But the questions remain: if they didn't die, why is Spencer so heartbroken, having panic attacks and pretending that they DID die? You won't find that out for a while, but I hope this chapter gives you some much awaited answers. Enjoy! **

* * *

That night, Harper weaved through the thick crowd of people at the Alpha house, the sour smell of booze wafting in her nostrils. She made her way up the stairs slowly, her heart beating faster and faster with each step. This was it. She was going to see him again. She was going to see his face clearly. She would finally know his name. And most importantly, she couldn't wait to give him the gift she got him.

She was here alone this time. Aria was too afraid to come back here after what happened last week, and Spencer was still sick in bed. She felt more than a little bit guilty for leaving Spencer, but Melissa was the most attentive nurse anyone could ask for. When Harper had slipped in her room to change, Melissa was doting over Spencer like she was a newborn baby.

Harper was nervous as she knocked on the door of the room where she found Aria, where she met him that night. She prayed he would answer, prayed he would open the door. She prayed that she would see him again.

There was no answer, and Harper's stomach sunk. He said he'd be here. "The Alpha party next Friday night." Did he mean the following Friday? What if he was standing her up? Harper swallowed nervously, and she opened the door just a crack and whispered in, "Hey? You here?"

"Yup," he answered. "Come in." Harper walked inside to find the lights still off, the boy sitting down in the corner of the room. He was casually sprawled out on the floor as if he was there only to wait for Harper to arrive.

"Why didn't you answer when I knocked?" asked Harper as she closed the door. She took a few steps in and stared at him.

"I wanted to see if you'd come in anyways," he said, flashing her a smile as he stood up to greet her. Her heart fluttered, but she could only see his face when she squinted.

"It's so dark in here," said Harper, flicking on the lights.

"Turn them off," he said. "I don't want anyone to come up here."

"Well, I'm here," said Harper as she turned the lights off again. She didn't even get one good look at his face. She could barely remember it; she had been so wasted that night. She was dying to see it, to see every inch of it.

"Well, except for you. I like to be alone."

"Why?"

The guy looked up at her. "Well, I don't like most people in general."

"Why not?" asked Harper. "There are a lot of good people."

"Yeah," he said, standing up and walking towards her. "But there are a lot more bad people. And I've met my fair share, believe me."

"What kind are you?" whispered Harper, taking another step towards him. For the first time, she noticed that he was actually towering over her. He was tall, muscular. . . . HOT. Even through his shirt, she could tell that he was RIPPED. "What kind of person? Good or bad?"

"Well," he whispered, taking a step closer, "That's up to you. A lot of people think they know already, but I'll let you figure that out by yourself."

Harper nodded. That was pretty ominous. She wasn't sure what to say now that he was here, in front of her. She had been dreaming of this moment for days, but now she was completely tongue tied. He stared at her smiling for a few moments before he whispered, "Why did your parents name you Harper?"

"Literary buffs," Harper responded, grateful for the conversation starter. "They met when they both tried to grab the last copy of To Kill A Mockingbird at a library. What about you?"

"What _about_ me?"

"Where'd your name come from?"

The boy chuckled. "So, To Kill A Mockingbird," he said with a smile, that warming smile. Changing the topic again, Harper noted. "Harper Lee. It's a good book. They were really into that book at my highschool. We practically spent the whole first semester of junior year on it."

"What's your favorite?" asked Harper, staring into his eyes.

"The Catcher in the Rye," he answered immediately. "My girlfriend used to tutor me in French, and she gave me a copy of it _in_ French when we first met. I've read it about a hundred times since then."

"Girlfriend?" Harper whispered. The words hit her like a bullet in the heart. He had a girlfriend? What was Harper even doing here? Why would he invite her back here if he was with someone? She thought he was flirting! Or. . . was she reading this situation completely wrong?

"Well, ex-girlfriend," he corrected. "We've been broken up for months."

Hope surged through Harper's heart. That made her feel SO much better. "Does she go to school here?"

"Um . . . yeah, she does," he said, trying not to blush.

"Is it hard going to school with her? Seeing her in class?"

"Well, no," the guy admitted. "I . . .uh. . . I've never see in her class because I don't actually go to school here."

"You don't?" Harper whispered.

"No, the boys in the fraternity hired me to do repair work up here. I get room and board until it's finished. This is actually my bedroom." He pointed over to a backpack and sleeping bag in the corner. "That's all I have."

"Oh," Harper whispered. He honestly didn't have a room? He was already working for a living, with only a small back pack of possessions? Who WAS this boy?

"That reminds me, I got you something." She reached into her purse and pulled out a small gift wrapped in colored tissue paper. She had used a silver ribon to tie a little bow around the small bundle. Her heart sped up as she passed it to her. "This is a copy of my room key," she whispered. "If you ever want to see me again somewhere more private, then you can come find me." She swallowed. Was this too weird? Would he think she was being to clingy?

"Thanks," he said shyly, grabbing the key. He smiled brightly at her said, "I'll use it, I promise." And he did. He did use it, a few days later. Just not for what she thought he would.

"I got it for you cause. . . I want to see you again," she said, trying not to blush. "Do you want to. . . hang out somewhere else? Maybe grab dinner somewhere?"

For a moment, Harper thought he looked unsure. But suddenly, the boy nodded, smiling. "I'd love too."

Harper could feel her heart surge when he said that. _Yes,_ she thought silently. _YES. _She couldn't wait to tell Aria and Spencer.

A loud noise from downstairs broke the silence between them. "Do you want a drink?"

"I'd love a drink," said Harper. She needed to unwind; her heart felt like it was about to explode.

"I'll be right back," he said, smiling shyly. "I'll go grab us a few beers. Stay here." Harper nodded, and the boy left to go downstairs. But as soon as he was good, Harper began to search the room. There HAD to be something in here that said his name on it.

She couldn't date this boy, this amazing boy, and not know his name.

Soon, she ran over to the big backpack in the corner of the room. His name had to be in it SOMEWHERE. She opened it up and pulled out nondescript things: T-shirts, a hoodie, socks, a toothbrush, some deodorant. Nothing special. She searched the tags of the clothing to see if he had written his name on it, but there was nothing.

She kept digging in the bag until she reached the bottom. At the very bottom of the bag was a book, torn and tattered. Harper pulled it out and looked it the cover. It was in French, and she was a Spanish student, so she didn't understand a word. She flipped through the pages a few times and saw the name Holden, so she knew that it had to be the French copy of Catcher in the Rye that his girlfriend bought him.

Harper sighed as she flipped through the pages. Why would he still hang onto this if he they were broken up? Did he. . . still have feelings fer her?

_No,_ thought Harper. _He can't. He just said he'd go out with me._

Suddenly, the question left harper's mind as she flipped to the inside cover of the book.

"For Toby," it read in pretty, female scrawl. "From S." Toby. That was the boy's name; it had to be.

Toby. There it was, the name she had been seraching for. That was her answer to the greatest question she had; his name was Toby.

"Toby." Harper said the name out loud, seeing how it felt in her mouth. She liked it. It sounded friendly, soft, warm. Instantly, she began to love the name.

She kept digging through the backpack until she found the internal name tag: "Property of T. Cavenaugh," it read.

Toby Cavenaugh. That was the boy's name. Toby Cavenaugh.

His name was Toby Cavenaugh.

Toby Cavenaugh.


	15. Chapter 15

The following night, Spencer tossed and turned in her bed. She had been restless all night, her fever still bothering her. She had been throwing up all day, and she still woke up feeling queasy every few hours. And her stomach wasn't the only thing keeping her up.

She had been dreaming that night of the first time she kissed Toby, outside the motel. Even through her horrid fever dreams, she could still remember every detail perfectly. She remembered the two of them standing close, staring at his beautiful face, the face of an angel.

She thought about the way he approached her, bold and ready to take that next step. They way he gently touched his lips to hers. He made the first move, leaning in like that. Most of all, she remembered the surprise that filled her when she started to kiss him back. She still remembered that breathtaking surprise that made her heart speed up, then slow down. She remembered the fireworks between them. She remembered.

"Toby," she whispered in her half awake, half asleep state. "Toby." She could still feel his warm skin on hers, pulling close. She could still picture him right in front of her. She could still see his face. She could still remember him.

Suddenly, she really did see it, his face. She really did see him. Maybe she was asleep, and maybe she was awake, but suddenly Toby's face was in front of hers. Spencer's eyes went wide, but she didn't scream. Everything inside of her was frozen. The face that had been haunting her for months was right in front of her.

"Don't scream," the face whispered, caressing Spencer's cheek gently. He used his other hand to raise a finger to his lips, signaling her to "shhhh," before bringing his finger down to her lips. He leaned in and gently gave her a peck on the cheek. "I've missed you."

"Don't touch me," Spencer managed to whisper as Toby moved his finger away. Her voice was audibly shaking. "Go away. I've. . . . " _I've finally stopped crying over you. I've finally stopped waking up, screaming your name. I've finally been able to realize how bad you were for me. _". . . I've finally moved on."

"Have you?" Toby said simply, kissing Spencer lightly on the forehead. "Because I haven't."

Spencer started breathing fast. She could really feel his lips touching her skin, soft and light. "It's a nightmare," she whispered to herself. "_You're_ a nightmare. I'm just having a nightmare."

Toby nodded. "Yes, yes you are," he whispered. "It's just a dream."

"A nightmare," Spencer corrected. "Definitely a nightmare."

Toby chuckled. "You always want to prove that you know more than everyone else." With that, he lightly kissed her again, on the lips this time.

Spencer was unable to move, still frozen. But somehow, she found her voice. "Stop," she whispered. "You're a murderer."

"Then this really is a nightmare," said Toby simply. "If I was a murderer, then this would be just a horrid, horrid nightmare. But if I was Toby, just Toby, then I hope this would be a dream."

"But you aren't just Toby," Spencer whimpered. "You ARE a murderer. You killed Ali. You killed Emily and Hanna. You tried to kill me."

"Did I?" asked Toby softly, raising an eyebrow. He smiled and laughed softly, gently placing a hand on Spencer's shoulder. "You know, I haven't forgotten you. And I never will."

Spencer closed her eyes forcefully. "It's just a nightmare!" she told herself again, told him through her tightly clenched eyelids. "It's just a nightmare. He's doesn't exist."

"I don't," Toby's voice whispered sadly. "I really don't." Spencer felt another tiny kiss, on her forehead this time, just before the voice whispered, "Stay safe."

Spencer quivered, drawing the blankets on her bed up to her chin. "What does that mean?"

"It means you aren't safe, Spence. You will never be safe until Ali's killer is caught."

"But I don't have proof," Spencer whispered. She could feel her heart pounding. "I have no proof that you did it."

"That _I_ did it," said Toby, pondering. "Are you sure?"

"YES," she whispered forcefully, opening her eyes. "I'm sure. Stop playing this game. I know you killed her, and I know that you were A, and I know that the accident is your fault. All I need is _proof."_

Toby smiled at her and said with a chuckle, "Well, keep looking for it. The proof, I mean. You won't find it, but you might find something. . . . else."

"Like what?"

Toby looked over at Harper and Aria to make sure they were both asleep; they were. "Like, what really happened those nights. The night Ali was killed, and the night of the accident. You think you know what went down, but you really don't. And I can't tell you."

"WHY NOT?"

"Because I don't really know myself. I just know enough to know that I'm not who you think I am."

"STOP," she cried softly. "You're a nightmare, just a nightmare."

"Can a nightmare do this?" Toby asked as he cupped her face in his hands and pressed his mouth to hers. He could feel her body shaking softly as he leaned in. She pulled away slowly, as if she didn't want to believe this, believe any of this.

"If I count to 100, you'll be gone," she said to herself. It was something that Aria told her when she woke up mid nightmare. _Count to 100_, Aria always insisted, _and all of it will disappear_. "100, 99. . ." she whispered to herself.

At some point, she felt like she could hear the door open and close. "77, 76. . . ." She didn't dare open her eyes. "53, 52. . ." She could feel herself slipping back to sleep. Unless she was already asleep. Unless this was a nightmare. Which it was. Right? "29, 28 . . ." Her eyelids drooped down before everything went black.

The next morning when she woke up, Spencer would recount a horrid dream to Aria, describing how Toby haunted her in a made up conversation. "A nightmare," was how she would describe it.

"And you slept through it?" Aria would ask proudly.

Spencer would nod, proud of herself as well. She hadn't been able to sleep through nightmares in a long time, and normally she would wake up Aria with her screams.

Both girls would believe that it was Spencer making improvement. Neither of them would suspect that it was possible that someone actually came in the room last night and spoke with Spencer.

They would both be too busy thinking about this dream, this nightmare, that they would never notice Harper thoughtfully stroking her room key, wondering why no one came to visit HER at night.


	16. Chapter 16

**So, I've had a really crazy week and I'm sorry for not updating in a while. I haven't had a free second to breathe. But I wanted to say thank you so much for the reviews I've received. I just hit 100 reviews on this story, which is RIDICULOUS! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. I don't want to list all the names because of space, but just know that every review you have written has made me cry a little inside. Thank you so much; you have NO idea what it means to me. Hope you like this chapter! It was basically an excuse to insert one of my favorite PLL characters ever.**

* * *

"Knock knock," a male voice called from outside Spencer's and Harper's room several days later. Aria sat up from her spot on Spencer's bed where she was reading, ready to answer the door, but it came swinging open. "SURPRISE!"

"MIKE!" squealed Aria as her brother appeared in the doorway. She ran straight to him and jumped into his arms.

"Ahhhh, I've missed you," said Mike as he scooped Aria into the air and spun her around. Although he was younger than her, he was bigger and stronger, making it easy to throw her in the air like a toddler.

"What are you DOING here?" Aria cried gleefully as she embraced her little brother. The two had a pretty good relationship for a brother and sister, and they felt no shame in hugging.

"Well, I had the day off school," Mike explained, "And I have been dying to see my two beautiful sisters all semester, AND I have some flowers that needed a home away from Rosewood." Mike presented his big sister with a big bouquet of flowers.

"Oh, they're so beautiful," Aria said dreamily. She kissed Mike on the cheek as she grabbed the fresh flowers, smelling them and sighing.

"Where's Spencer?" asked Mike. "I thought I could take the two of you out to lunch."

"She was out sick for a couple days," Aria explained as she set the flowers down, "So she's doing some make up work."

"Darn," Mike sighed. "Well, at least it gives me some one on one time with my favorite sister." Mike looked around, pretending to be paranoid, and whispered, "Don't tell Spencer that you're my fave."

Aria giggled. "I think she understands that your biased," Aria said, grinning. "Let's go to the cafeteria; I'm starving."

"Ohhhh, no," said Mike. "No way. I saw a little vegetarian Italian place just outside of campus that you'd LOVE. My treat."

"Oh, no, Mike," Aria insisted. "I can't let you do that. It's too expensive." Mike was still just a kid; he didn't have a job.

"You're forgetting," Mike reminded her with a grin, "Our new step mommy is loaded. I think I can afford to splurge a little."

Aria smiled and kissed Mike's cheek again. "You are too sweet. Let me just grab my purse and we can get going."

About half an hour later, Aria's eyes danced over a leather bound menu as she settled into a booth at the restaurant. Mike was right; it was the kind of place she would love. It was a big sacrifice for him, seeing as how he hated pasta and ate nothing but meat. She couldn't help but think about how much she loved him, what a great little brother he was. In her pocket, should could feel her phone buzzing, but she ignored it.

"So, how's Rosewood treating you, Mikey?" Aria asked. "It's not too weird living with dad and Veronica?" Veronica. Aria always felt weird calling her step mom by her first name, but was there an alternative? She had always called her Mrs. Hastings, but she wasn't Mrs. Hastings anymore after getting divorced.

"Naw," said Mike, sipping his water. "Veronica's cool. It's the rest of Rosewood that drives me insane."

"Oh yeah?" she said, raising her eyebrows at him. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, forget I mentioned it." Mike cleared his throat and said, "So, what are you going to order?"

"Linguini with pesto." Aria looked at him again, not wanting to drop the subject. "Seriously, though, Mike. Is it. . . . hard, walking around and being my little brother?" Everyone in town knew Aria by name, first because of Ali and later because of the accident. She knew it must suck for Mike to be known as Aria Montgomery's little brother.

Mike looked at her as if to say, _Seriously_? "No, not really," he admitted. "It's not as hard to be Aria Montgomery's little brother as it is to be Spencer Hasting's little brother."

Aria nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, well, being Spencer's best friend isn't the easiest thing either." Aria thought about the whispers from strangers wherever she went: _Hey, that girl, the short one with the black hair. Isn't she the Montgomery girl, the one who lived through that accident? You mean the one who was friends with Spencer Hastings? Isn't that the girl who lived?_

_"The girl who lived?" For goodness sakes_, she always thought when she overheard them. _I survived a car crash. It's not like I'm Harry Potter!_

"It isn't?" asked Mike. "Being her best friend shouldn't be too hard here. I thought, now that you're away from people who knew about the accident. . ." He trailed off, not sure how to finish the sentence.

Aria shrugged. "It weighs on both of us a lot."

"Ah," Mike said, understanding. The accident wasn't something very easy to forget. "Otherwise, how IS college treating you?"

"Amazing," said Aria dreamily. "I love it here. I'm with Spencer and Ezra, I'm only taking classes I actually enjoy, and I have so much free time. It's perfect." Okay, it was a bit fudged. She hadn't responded to any of Ezra's apology texts, she was drowning in homework, and all of her free time was spent guarding Spencer like she was a ticking time bomb. But once she got passed all of that, she realized that it was STILL a lot better than Rosewood.

She felt her phone buzz again. She glanced down at the text: **Aria****, please talk to me. I love you. I just need to hear your voice. -Ezra.** Aria took a big swig of water and turned off the phone, willing herself not to cry.

Mike laughed. "You don't miss ANYTHING from Rosewood?"

"I miss you," admitted Aria. "A lot. Sometimes I miss Mom and Dad. And I miss Hanna and Emily a lot."

Mike nodded. "OH!" said Mike suddenly. "I forgot to tell you. My grade has to do some mandatory volunteering this month, and guess where I chose to work?"

"Where?"

"Rosewood Rehab!" said Mike joyfully.

"Aww, Mikey," said Aria fondly. "I'm so proud of you." Aria had a strong connection with Rosewood Rehab; the organization had helped a lot of people she knew, and she had friends on the staff. "Is it going okay?"

"Yeah, it's going great. The work is fun, and I'm really making a difference in a lot of people's lives. It's so great to see _people."_

Aria nodded thoughtfully. "Hey, do you see Hanna or Emily a lot? I mean, Rosewood's a small town."

Mike nodded. "I see Hanna almost every day. She's great."

"What about Emily?"

Mike sighed. "Have you talked to Pam Fields lately?"

Aria shook her head. "I talked to Hanna recently, and she said that Emily was . . . getting there."

"She has been," Mike insisted. "But . . . we don't think she'll get much further."

"What do you mean?" asked Aria, even thought she knew the answer.

Mike looked at her sadly and said, "I ended up talking with Hanna for a while yesterday. She says that she doesn't think Emily is ever going to come around. . . ever. Or at least, not for a long, long time."

"Oh," whispered Aria, crestfallen. "Is. . . that what you came here to tell me? Is that why you're here?"

"A little," admitted Mike. "I thought I should tell you face to face. I also just wanted to see you, ask how you were doing."

"Well, I'M doing fine," said Aria angrily. "Why isn't anyone asking Pam how SHE'S doing? She's the one who has to live with Emily for the rest of her life."

"That's what Hanna THINKS," corrected Mike. "From what I've seen of Emily, well, I disagree."

Aria glared at him and spat, "Well, Mike, you're a kid, and you don't even know her. What makes you qualified to give that analysis?"

"Hey," said Mike, reaching his arm across the table. He grabbed Aria's tiny, shaking hand in his. "You okay?"

Aria huffed, indignantly. "I'm fine," she said. "Just stressed. Spencer had another nightmare last night and I didn't get much sleep."

"Oh yeah?" asked Mike. "Another panic attack?" Mike remembered Spencer's panic attack period far too well; he would often help Aria by holding Spencer down while she kicked and screamed.

"No," said Aria, "It was weird actually. She had a recurring dream about. . . .Toby. She's had it all week long, but no panic attack. They have whole conversations about Ali, about the accident. It's so weird. At first I thought it was just a fever dream, but her fever has been gone for days and the dream keeps coming."

"Weird," said Mike, dipping a piece of bread in olive oil. "I'm sure it's nothing." He chewed the bread thoughtfully before continuing. "You know, Aria, I don't think I've ever told you this before, but I think it's really great how you've made it through all this."

"What do you mean?"

"The way you've stayed strong through everything: the accident, everything that's happened with Emily and Hanna, taking care of Spencer. You've been so brave and strong."

_You forget handling the fact that A is still after me_, Aria thought. She hadn't received any more messages since the night she fought with Ezra, but they were weighing on her. But she pushed those thoughts out of her head. "Thanks, Mike," Aria said shyly. "That means a lot."

A strange, silent feeling passed between them, the kind of thing you only saw in Hallmark movies. But a waiter dropped a tray of dishes on the other side of the room took them out of their sibling bonding moment. "So, do I get to meet the roommate tonight?" asked Mike, breaking the tension.

"Yeah, but she has a date," said Aria. Somehow, she had got the mystery guy from the party to go out with her. Aria still thought it was bizarre, seeing how Harper told Aria that the boy still hadn't told Harper his name. But, love was love. "She's meeting some guy by big fountain outside my dorm, the one on the hill. they're going to dinner together."

"Can we tag along?" asked Mike. "Me, you, and Spencer? I was hoping to get to spend some time with her. Think she'd mine?"

"Nah. She's so nervous already that it might help her calm down."

"Cool." Mike flashed Aria a big smile. "It should be fun."

Little did he know that it would be the furthest thing from fun.


	17. Chapter 17

"Brrrr," said Aria, pulling her coat tighter around her tiny body. "It's cold up here." She was sitting on the edge of the big, ornate fountain at the top of a small hill near her dorm. The sound of rushing water trickled through the fountain, and the hill was bathed in nothing but moon beams. It was THE most coveted romantic spot on campus, and it was the perfect place for Harper to meet up with her new . . . friend.

Mike wrapped an arm around Aria's shoulder, trying to keep her warm, and squeezed her tightly. "He shouldn't be much longer," insisted Harper. She was nervously pacing around the hill, trying to look for the boy. "He said he'd be here."

"Maybe you should text him," suggested Spencer from her spot next to Aria.

"I don't have his number," said Harper. "But he said he'd come." A look passed between Spencer and Aria. They had heard very little about this boy, this mystery hero. Aria was a nervous about meeting the boy who saved her drunk, drugged ass, but she was more curious than apprehensive.

"What's this guy's name again?" Mike whispered to Aria.

"We don't know," she whispered back with a sneaky smile. "He won't tell harper what it is."

"Well, that is. . . "

"Weird?" interjected Spencer quietly. "What kind of date won't let her know his name?"

"Apparently an extremely sexy one," said Aria with a giggle. "I've heard the story of his perfect cheek bones about 100 times."

"That's him!" Harper whispered, walking over to the three siblings sitting on the fountain. "He's coming over the hill."

"Ah," said Spencer, squinting at the tall, muscular figure slowly pacing up towards them. "Mister-what's-his-name." They couldn't make out any details about him from the distance; they only saw a dark figure approaching.

"Actually," Harper whispered, blushing, "Don't tell him, but . . . I DO know his name. I dug through his stuff until I found a name tag on something. He doesn't know."

"Really?" said Aria with an eye roll. This whole relationship was too weird for her, but if Harper was happy, then so was she. Aria thought that Harper deserved to be in a relationship with someone good. The figure was coming closer, but it was still too dark and they couldn't see any details about him. "What it is? What's his name?"

Harper leaned in to the two girls and whispered, "It's Toby. Toby Cavenaugh."

At that very same moment, Toby appeared on the top of the hill next to Harper, all of his features visible. "Hey, Harper, you brought some friends?" As soon as the words left his mouth, his eyes cast down on the three siblings sitting on the edge of the fountain, recognition shooting through his mind.

The air around the fountain suddenly felt heavy. Aria and Mike were both frozen, staring up at Toby, the face they thought they would never see again. He was virtually unchanged from the last time Aria saw him, the day of the accident. He was a perfect representation of the ghost that had haunted them for months.

Spencer could feel her heartbeat slow down as her eyes locked on Toby's eyes, his baby blue eyes. She could feel his eyes staring straight into his soul and squeezing her, squeezing her tight. It sent fear surging through her to think of all the secrets this boy knew, everything he knew about Alison, A, the accident. . . and Spencer herself.

And when Spencer's beautiful, warm eyes met his, Toby lost all sense of self. All he could see was her. Her, the girl that knew him better than he knew himself. Her, the girl that made him understand what love could be. Her, the girl that he still dreamt of when he was crying himself to sleep, and the girl he saw when he least expected to.

"Do you guys know each other?" asked Harper when she saw the tense stares passing between Toby and the others. Her words snapped everyone's minds back into reality. Mike jumped up and placed his body between Toby and his sisters, fiercely protective of them. Aria wrapped her arms around Spencer, trying to push her even farther backwards away from Toby. But Toby couldn't take his eyes off of Spencer.

"Guys?" No one could hear Harper. The tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Everyone had lost sense of the current moment when they flashed back to last winter. They all saw different things: Spencer saw Toby running around in a black hoodie, the night of their anniversary. Aria saw Spencer the day before the accident, burning a framed photo of her and Toby kissing. Mike saw Aria tearfully admitting to him that the accident was all Toby's fault, sobbing in her hospital bed a week after the crash.

And Toby? Toby saw Spencer in his arms, Spencer kissing him, Spencer reading across the room from him, Spencer laughing with him over coffee, Spencer. All he saw was Spencer. And that was all he saw as he stepped towards her, pushed past Mike, and yanked her up by her shoulders.

Aria was so surprised that she released her grip around Spencer and watched as Toby yanked her to a standing position and pressed his lips to his. Spencer's eyes went wide with shock when his warm body leaned into hers, pulling them closer together than they had been in months.

"Spencer," he whispered softly, pulling his lips away ever so slightly. Not, "I love you," or "I missed you," or, "I need you." Just "Spencer." He felt his skin on hers, her body next to his. Touching her, kissing her, being with her- it was the best feeling he had felt in MONTHS.

That was, until, a giant slam hit his side. Mike had rammed into Toby, ripping his arms and lips away from Spencer. "DON'T TOUCH MY SISTER!" Mike howled, pounding his fist into Toby's face. Soon, he knocked Toby to the ground, and the two boys started rolling down the hills on top of each other.

Aria jumped up from her spot on the edge of the fountain and stared over the edge of the hill. "MIKE!" she screamed. "MIIIIIKE!" For a moment, she forgot that her best friend and sister was completely traumatized. All she could focus on was her brother, who was in a fist fight with a murderer at the bottom of the hill. She started to run down the hill towards them, completely forgetting Spencer.

"What's going on?" screamed Harper, chasing after Aria and the two boys. She was completely baffled. Why was Aria's brother beating the shit out of Toby? AND WHY DID TOBY KISS SPENCER? As far as Harper knew, they were strangers. Unless. . . they weren't? None of this made any sense.

But Spencer still didn't follow them. She was frozen standing at the top of the hill next to the fountain, remembering the night of the accident. She remembered that as soon as her mother and Melissa left, she made a very serious decision. She remembered the pounding in her heart as she typed out the text, "I love you," and sent it to Toby, shortly before collapsing on her bed. She remembered swallowing the bottle of sleeping pills, each white pill feeling like a rock in her throat. She remembered the decision she made that night, the conscious decision, to kill herself.

Then, everything went black as Spencer lost consciousness and fell backwards, right into the fountain.

* * *

**Well, I hope I delivered with Spencer and Toby meeting for the first time again. Did you like it? What do you think will/should happen next? Review and let me know.**

**Also, I have literally been having the craziest week ever and have had no time to write or post. Updates won't really be regular from now on, but I'll try.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18

"Where the hell is he?" cried Melissa as she burst through the door of Spencer and Harper's room.

"Shhhhh," whispered Aria urgently. "She's asleep." Aria wiped away another tiny tear from the corner of her eye as she stared down at Spencer's pale, sleeping face.

"Aria, what the hell did he do to her?" Melissa hissed in a whisper, inspecting Spencer. "And why is she all wet?"

Aria gently grabbed a strand of Spencer's hair and squeezed the sticky, moist clump. "He didn't hurt her," Aria insisted. "She was standing in front of the fountain on the big hill when she passed out."

"WHAT?"

"Fell straight back into the water and hit the ground," explained Aria as she adjusted the wet washcloth on Spencer's forehead, making sure it didn't drip onto the ice pack perched on the back of her head where she hit the ground. "By the time she was out, Toby had already run away."

"No," called Mike from his spot on the bean bag chair in the corner of the room. "At that time, he was still beating the shit out of me like I was a punching bag."

"I said to keep that ice pack on your arm," demanded Aria, rushing over to Mike and readjusting the ice pack he was pressing to his swollen forearm. Sometime during the fight, he smacked it against the ground, HARD. Other than that, he had made it out without any horrific injuries, not counting scrapes and bruised . He proudly boasted that he got a good punch to Toby's forehead, but other than that, Toby made it out without a scratch

"Stop, Aria," mumbled Mike, shoving his caring sister away. "I'm fine."

"Mike, if I can't take care of Spencer, let me at least take care of you." Aria crouched down next to him, pressing the ice to his arm gently. "Please, let me take care of you."

Aria sniffled, casting a glance over to Spencer. She was drowning in self hatred; how could she have let this happen? She had DEVOTED herself to keeping Spencer safe from Toby- from EVERYTHING- and look where they were now.

"Where on Earth is her roommate?" asked Melissa. "The bitch who started this all. Harper. Where the hell is she?"

Aria glared at her. "Harper ran after Toby as soon as Mike jumped off him. I haven't seen her since she followed him. I don't know where they are."

Melissa moaned. "What is he even DOING back here? He ruined her life; ALL of our lives." Melissa glanced around at Aria's teary eyes, at Mike's swollen arm, and Spencer passed out on the bed. "We can't let him keep getting away with everything. We can't let goddam Toby Cavenaugh back into our lives."

As if hearing his name was bringing her out of a trance, Spencer suddenly blinked to life and started coughing. "What happened?" she wheezed. "Where am I?"

All three of Spencer's siblings were at her bedside in an instant. They all leaned over her nervously before Melissa whispered, "Hey Spence, how you feeling?"

Spencer coughed again and whispered, "Horrible. What the hell happened to me?"

"What do you remember?" whispered Aria.

"I remember. . . him," choked out Spencer. The thoughts of Toby kissing her were beginning to surface in her mind. She knew that she should have been scared, terrified. But she wanted him back. She wanted him to come back. "I want to see him."

"What?" gasped Melissa. "Spencer, no you don't. You never want to see him again." Aria was equally shocked; why on Earth would Spencer want to see him again, this boy she had feared and hated for months?

"But. . he was there!" Spencer whispered urgently. "I need to see him. He was there. . . and he kissed me-"

"He KISSED you?" shrieked Melissa. "That useless little bastard! When I get my hands on him, I'll-"

"Melissa, stop!" growled Aria in a low tone. She turned to Mike, kissed his cheek, and said, "We will be right back." With that, she physically yanked Melissa out the door and into the hallway.

"Melissa, no, not in front of Spencer," Aria declared. "She can't handle it."

"I'm sorry, but neither can I," declared Melissa. "If that low-life EVER puts his hands on my baby sister again-"

"MELISSA," cried Aria, exasperated. "Spencer's not your baby sister any more! I mean, I agree with you; Toby shouldn't be allowed near her! Yes, he ruined ALL of our lives. Yes, he is a bad guy! But Spencer is 18 years old and a freshmen in college. You can't keep controlling her life!"

Aria had no idea what made her say that to Melissa. Everything in Spencer's life had been controlled since the accident; a combination of heavy medication and close supervision for Aria had left her just short of being chained. But Aria knew that everything she had done was for Spencer's best interests, whereas Melissa was only out to help herself.

Melissa's eyes widened, full of rage. "Well, isn't that what you're doing?" she questioned, head cocked.

"What do you mean?"

"Damn, Aria, you know EXACTLY what I mean. For God's sake, you're sleeping on the floor of her bedroom. You crawl into her bed every night when she has nightmares. You're her childhood best friend, but you followed each other to college. She needs to start moving on from YOU."

Aria glared at Melissa, arms crossed. "Yeah, well, maybe you're right. Maybe I'm a little clingy. But that's only because Spencer DOES still needs me. She tells me every day. 'Oh, Aria, I love you so much. I need you to stay with me. Don't let me go. Never leave.' I know for a FACT that Spencer needs me."

Aria took an angry step towards Melissa. "But she doesn't need you," she told her. "She never needed you, and never will. You've been a bitch to her for years. You're the person who drove her to . . . " Aria stopped, unable to finish the story. _You made her want to kill herself._ But Melissa knew what she was talking about. "The night fo the accident, right after you two fought. It was ALL your fault."

"Was it?" said Melissa, eyes flashing angrily. "Was it really? Because I actually blame Toby. I blame him for a lot of it."

"Well, it's not ALL his fault. He wasn't the one who drove Spencer to swallow a bottle of pills!"

"OH YEAH?" yelled Melissa, taking a step closer to Aria. "Well, he was the reason Spencer was desperate enough to try to sleep with Wren-"

"That's a lie," Aria growled. "They were never going to sleep together. You should know that by now!"

"That doesn't mean it wasn't Toby's fault," Melissa continued. "And you know what? At least I didn't try to kill Spencer like Toby did. At least I didn't kill Alison DiLaurentis like he did. At least the accident isn't my fault. It's his."

"Melissa-"

"At least I didn't cut the brakes on Spencer's car," Melissa finished. "HE did. HE is the reason you girls went over the bridge that night. And you know it, Aria. You know that Toby is too dangerous for her to be around."

Aria swallowed, nodded, and whispered, "Yeah. I do know. We ALL know."


	19. Chapter 19

"Toby!" Harper screamed as she ran up the stairs of the Alpha house. She had followed him here, sprinting as fast as she could through campus. She was so confused, so so so confused.

"Toby, fucking open this door," Harper screamed, pounding on the door as hard as she could. It was locked from the inside, but anger was surging through her. She got a good, solid grip on the doorknob and gave it a sharp, hard twist, breaking the internal lock. She flung the door open, and it made a smacking sound as it hit the wall.

Harper angrily dashed in to find Toby sitting on the floor, cross-legged. His head was in his hands, and his shoulders were shaking silently. Blood was dripping from a wound in his forehead. "Go away," Toby said, trying to hide the fact that he was crying.

Harper sat down on the floor in front of him and placed a hand on his knee. She could feel her heart melting and softening when she watched him cry. It was a strange sight, watching a strong man fall to pieces. "Toby, what happened back there?" she asked gently. "Why did Mike tackle you like that?" _And why did you kiss Spencer, when I'm the one falling in love with you?_

He didn't look up at her, but his shoulders stopped shaking. "How'd you find out my name?" he asked, sniffling.

"I found it in the front of your book, your French copy of Catcher in the Rye." Suddenly, she remembered the rest of the inscription. It said it was from S. From. . . . Spencer?

"Holy shit," she whispered. "Is Spencer your ex?"

Toby nodded, not looking up at her. "We dated for a year. She broke up with me, and I followed her here."

Harper's jaw dropped. "Holy shit, Toby. Why didn't you tell me?"

He finally looked up at her. His blue eyes were sparkling under a film of tears. "Because I'm still in love with her."

A thousand emotions shot through Harper, and she wasn't sure which one was dominating. Jealousy of Spencer, confusion as to why this boy would lead her on, sadness that Toby didn't love her back, anger that no one had told her any of this before!

"Then why did Mike Montgomery attack you?" said Harper, staring at the gash on his forehead. Blood was spurting out madly and running all over the floor. "Do you have a bandage?" Harper grabbed a T-shirt from the corner and pressed into his moist forehead.

"Don't," he spat. He shoved Harper away, knocking the bloodied shirt from her hands. "Let it bleed out. I deserve to die for what I did to her."

"WHY?" she cried. "Toby, what happened between you guys?"

"What did she tell you?" Toby whimpered. "What did she tell you about me?"

"NOTHING! Toby, I don't know anything! Just tell me, what happened that's so bad that Aria's little brother just tried to kill you?"

Toby swallowed, just once. He looked straight at Harper and whispered, "I've done bad things. Bad, bad things."

"How bad?"

"I. . . I made Spencer try to kill herself."

* * *

"Which is why we have to go looking for him," insisted Melissa as she marched back into Spencer's room. "We can't let him run away from this. He needs to be stopped!"

"Oh yeah, how?" demanded Aria. "What can we do?"

"Um, call the police?" Melissa screeched. "He deserves to be behind bars!"

"And say what to the police?" Aria hissed in response. "'Arrest this guy because he sucks?"

"No, because he's a psycho! Aria, honestly, he tried to kill Spencer AND you. He killed ALISON. I am not letting him anywhere NEAR Spencer."

"And you think I will?" Aria collapsed on Harper's bed, staring at Spencer's pale face. "Melissa, if he even comes within a mile of Spencer, I will make him sorry he was ever born. But until he does something we can take to the cops that we actually have evidence of, there is nothing we can do."

Melissa turned to Aria, tears streaking down her face. "Aria, we both know that Toby is a bad guy. He is the reason Emily and Hanna are both where they are now, or have you forgotten?"

"But we have no evidence!" she cried. "The only evidence we have is what Spencer and I saw the night of the accident." This was the bane of her existence. She knew that Toby killed Alison; she knew that he had caused the accident. But she had no proof, no proof at all. And with no proof, Toby could walk free.

It killed Aria every single day.

"Then we find him," insisted Melissa. "And we find our own evidence."

Spencer stirred slightly, moaning in her sleep. "But. . . " Aria's gaze flickered over to Spencer. "We can't leave her."

"Aria, I can stay here," Mike insisted from his spot on the floor. "Go look for Toby. I'll take care of Spencer."

"Mike-"

"Aria," he insisted. "You need to go find him. You need to go keep him away from Spencer, and you need to see what he knows."

"Spencer-"

"Will be safe with me," Mike finished for her. "I promise. I won't let him hurt her."

Aria's eyes darted between Mike, moaning in the corner while trying to elevate his arm, to Spencer, moaning in her half-conscious state with soaking wet hair. They were both weak, vulnerable.

Which meant she had to stop Toby before he could come anywhere near here.

Aria planted a kiss on Mike's head, and then Spencer's. "We'll be back soon," she declared, more for her own benefit than Mike and Spencer's, as she slipped her hand into Melissa's.

Aria's felt Melissa squeeze her hand, a million words passing between them. For a moment, Mike, Melissa, Spencer, and Aria shared looks of fear, of dread, of anxiety. It was the strangest family anyone had ever seen. They were all so different, but Aria realized something important in that moment.

_We will all do anything, ANYTHING, it takes to keep each other safe._

After one final goodbye, Aria and Melissa ran out the door, not sure where they were going, but knowing the destination was somewhere along the way.

* * *

**Hey guys, I know this chapter was kind of boring, but the next few are pretty action packed. SPOILER ALERT: There will be Ezria and Spoby scenes coming up. I know you've all been asking for Ezria to get back together, and worry not, it will happen!**

**Sorry for not being very good about updating lately, but my spring break is starting soon so I will get back into a regular schedule. I've got about 10 more chapters planned out to the letter, but after that the story gets blurry with room for changes. Any hopes, ideas, theories? Let me know! Thanks for reading, and please review!**

**Also, I know I've been EXTREMELY vague about the accident. In about 4ish more chapters, there will be some big reveals about what went on and what happened to Emily and Hanna. It's coming, I PROMISE! :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Again, I'd like to remind you that I stay true to my ratings! This scene is a little scarier, but it's still rated T, I PROMISE! :) I know you'll like the end of this chapter, though. . . **

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"Okay, you head East and I'll head West," instructed Melissa. She and Aria were standing at the base of the hill, and she could hear Aria's teeth chattering loudly as the wind whipped past them. "Just walk the roads until you see him."

"And then what?" asked Aria sarcastically. "Jump him? In case you haven't noticed, Melissa, he's about twice my height and weight. Not to mention he can bench about 200 pounds-"

"ARIA," growled Melissa. "Shut the fuck up. If you see if, call campus security and get him arrested. Stop being such a fucking drama queen."

Aria's mouth dropped open; Melissa had never spoken to her like that. "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to PROTECT Spencer."

"Yeah, well, so am I," said Melissa simply. "Aria, you remember when Mike was arrested two years ago?"

"Of course." _How could I have forgotten? Thanks for bringing it up._

"My mom told me that you knew, and you were keeping it from your mother and Byron. She thinks you were being reckless and irresponsible."

Aria glared at her. "I wasn't. I was-"

"Protecting him," Melissa finished. "I said that's what SHE thinks. Well, you're not the only one who knows what its like to be a protective older sibling," Melissa whispered evenly, staring at Aria's big, round eyes. "I love Spencer, just like you love Mike. And we are working TOGETHER to keep her safe. I'm going to protect her, just like you knew you had to protect Mike. Do you understand?"

Aria nodded, and before she gave it a second thought, she wrapped her arms around Melissa in a hug. "Thanks," she whispered before darting away down the street.

She kept her eyes peeled for Toby, but she it was dark. All of the people around her looked the same this late, bathed in dull moon beams as they walked around or just lounged beside buildings.

Aria walked up to the first people she saw: a couple of generic looking girls in matching sorority sweatshirts. "Have you seen a guy run past here like he was in a hurry?" she asked them.

''Maybe," one replied. "Can you describe him?"

"About six foot, ripped, sandy brown hair, big cheek bones, wide blue eyes, he has a cleft chin-"

"Damn, girl, if he went running by here, then I think I would noticed," one of the girls joked. "We'd be in the bushes undressing each other by now."

Her friends laughed, but Aria was pissed. "Not if you knew what he was like," she countered before walking away towards the next person she could find.

Not if they knew what he had done.

Six feet tall, ripped, cheek bones- that's not what describes Toby. Physically, yes, that's what he looked like. But that didn't say anything about him, what he'd done, what he was like, who he was. Aria would NEVER be able to describe who Toby was to someone. That is, not without showing them the big, jagged scar on the back of her hand where a piece of glass from the car window stabbed her during the accident.

Aria kept running between different people, all of them turned her away, claiming they hadn't seen Toby. She dashed between people as quickly as she could, making her way down the street like lightning. But after asking two boys who were tagging a wall if they had seen him, she didn't dash down the street immediately. Instead, she stared at them for a moment.

"Have I met you before?" she asked apprehensively. The two boys looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place their faces.

"I think I'd remember meeting someone as sexy as you," one boy said, nudging his friend. _Ew, skeevy_. Aria rolled her eyes and started to turn away, but suddenly the other boy called after her.

"WAIT," he yelled, dashing after her. Aria spun around, and the boy grabbed her by the shoulders tightly. "You DO look familiar. What grade are you?"

Suddenly, Aria felt panicky at his harsh contact. She didn't know why, but she had a BAD feeling about these boys. "F-f-f-f-freshmen," she stuttered. A gust of wind flew by, sending a chill down Aria's spine.

"Ryan, what's your deal?" asked the boy who didn't have his hand on Aria's shoulder. He took a step towards to Aria, and their eyes locked.

The realization hit all three of them at the same moment. Aria's heart stopped when she saw Eric's face. These were the two boys who almost raped her the night of the frat party.

"You little _bitch_," Ryan growled. Aria took a step back, trying to break free from his grasp, but he was faster and stronger. He grabbed her by both of her shoulders and spun her around so that he back was pressed to the wall.

"Please, no," Aria cried as she smacked the wall, her teeth chattering.

"I could fucking kill you," he hissed, shoving the weight of his body against hers. Aria yelped in pain and surprise as her shoulder dug into the wall at a bad angle. "That dick beat the shit out of me, all because of you."

"HELP!" Aria screamed as loud as she could. "SOMEONE, HEL-"

Ryan clasped a hand over her mouth, pressing her even harder against the wall. "Ryan, chill," whispered Eric. "Leave her the fuck alone. Watch that shit head show up again." But Aria knew that it wouldn't happen. Toby would not come to her rescue this time. He would not try to save her. She was all alone.

"This bitch is going to fucking pay," growled Ryan. There was murder in his eyes as he stared at Aria. "I'm going to finish what I started." He shook Aria's body, and her head slammed against the brick wall. Searing pain shot through her, and she did her best to keep her eyes from watering.

"I can't do this," mumbled Eric, trying not to meet Aria's eyes. "I'll see you back at the dorm." Aria tried to shoot him a pleading look, begging him for mercy, but Eric was already sprinting away as quickly as he could.

"Pussy," whispered Ryan as Eric dashed away. "Now where was I?" he murmured as he tightly squeezed Aria's arm. Aria's eyes went wide with surprise as Ryan's hand snaked up her shirt and grabbed her breast. He gave it a couple tight squeezes, and Aria tried to keep herself from vomiting. She started flailing her arms and legs, but Ryan used the weight of his giant, towering body against her and pressed her into the wall forcefully.

Aria felt searing pain as her left elbow slammed at the exact wrong angle into the wall. She screamed again and bit down on Ryan's hand, and he drew it back for a moment. "PLEASE HELP!" she howled before Ryan managed to press his hand to her mouth again.

Tears finally streamed down Aria's face as Ryan's fingers touched her cheek. He ran his hand into her hair and yanked hard, and Aria bit down on the inside of her lip to keep from screaming. Ryan's face inched closer to hers until they were nearly touching. Aria could see the reflection of her terrified face in Ryan's angry eyes as he looked at hers. "You're going to get what you deserve," he whispered menacingly.

Aria closed her eyes, refusing to look at him anymore. The pressure he was forcing on her body was excruciating, and she tried as hard as she could to make herself pass out. It wasn't working.

But suddenly, she felt a giant relief in pressure. Ryan's body suddenly left her, and she slid down to the ground, unable to keep herself standing. Her eyes opened to see a figure on top of Ryan, pressing his body to the ground in a push up position.

The figure was punching Ryan, kicking him, giving him every kind of physical abuse ever. Aria was in shock to see this person coming to her rescue. Whoever it was, he was her knight in shining armor.

Aria shivered in fear as she watched Ryan howl in pain. Even in the dark, she could see his red blood spilling on the dark pavement and forming huge puddles. After a many long minutes of being beaten, Ryan stopped screaming, and the attacker jumped off him. Ryan was still; he didn't move, didn't try to get up, didn't make a sound.

Suddenly, her savior leapt up from the pavement and ran towards her. His face was hidden for a while, but when he dashed under the street light, she could see his baby blue ices, his soft, concerned features, his messy black hair. It was the face of the person that she knew would always be there to save her. It was Ezra.

Without a word, Ezra scooped tiny Aria up into his arms like a baby and started to run. She was too scared and weak to wrap her arms around him, so she simply leaned into his chest. She had no idea where he was taking her at first, but she knew she'd be safe with him.

She didn't realize it at first, but his office building was on this block. As soon as he reached the front door of the building, he used one hand to open the door, the other still wrapped around Aria like she was a baby. He slipped into the entryway of the building, abandoned at this late hour, and slammed the door closed with his body. He twisted the lock of the door with his free hand so no one could get in before collapsing to the floor, Aria still in his arms.

"What the hell just happened?" Ezra gasped, placing a hand on Aria's face. Aria didn't respond; she was shaking so badly that she couldn't speak. "Aria, it's okay, calm down," Ezra, said, trying to grab her shoulders and keep her still. "Shhh, it's okay baby, don't cry."

There were already tiny tears forming in her eyes. Within seconds, Aria had begun to fall apart. Ezra sat up against the wall, Aria sobbing in on his lap. Her entire body shook with sobs, but he swaddled her tightly with his strong arms. He sighed, finally understanding everything that had happened with her during the last few weeks. He stroked her back softly, and began to whisper to her, "Shh, it's okay. I'm here."

Aria could feel a giant burden being lifted off her: the burden of keeping this secret, the burden of hiding this pain, the burden of trying so hard to be strong. But sitting there in Ezra's arms, in the middle of nowhere at close to midnight, she felt like had never been a burden. Through her tears, Aria thought to herself, _When I'm with Ezra, nothing is a burden anymore. There's no more pain._

She lost sense of everything else but Ezra in those moments. She forgot that Toby was still on the loose, that Spencer was still in danger. She forgot that she had almost been raped AGAIN, almost beaten and left for dead. All that mattered was Ezra. Ezra was here, Ezra was now. Ezra loved her, and she loved him, so nothing else in the world mattered.

But she was still in horrific shock, shaking in fear. Aria kept crying, unable to breathe for a long time. Ezra kept hugging her, stroking her back, and calming her down, loving the fact that he could hold her again. He paused to gently kiss the back of her head before he whispered, "I'll always be here for you, Aria. ALWAYS. I promise." And he meant it.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys! So, with the exception of this chapter, this story will temporarily be on hiatus, along with my other story, Making Choices. I've been having a fit of writers block lately, so I'm going to take a break from regular posting to begin work on an Ezria and Sparia friendship story that I will begin to post during the summer. I'll post the preface of that story in mid April before going back to regular posting. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting! Thanks again for reading, and please review.**

* * *

"I'm so sorry," Aria whispered, resting her head on Ezra's shoulder. "I should have just explained what happened, and. . . "

"Hey," said Ezra, cutting her off. He gently kissed the crown of her head and said, "Don't apologize. I understand completely."

Aria looked at him with wide, unbelieving eyes. "You do?"

"Well, no," admitted Ezra. "I love you though, so I'm not . . . mad. But I don't get why you'd want to keep something like this from me."

Aria sniffled. "I didn't tell you because. . . I don't want you to have to take care of me. I'm a big girl. I shouldn't need to be protected. I don't want to be tying you down, keeping from living your dreams."

"Living my dreams?" Ezra grabbed her cheeks and stroked her face gently. "Aria, my dream is _you_. I don't dream about anything else in the world other than being with you. Why would you think that me protecting you stops me from living my dreams?"

Aria didn't respond, only buried her face in Ezra's chest. Ezra didn't understand for a few moments, but the realization hit him suddenly. "Aria," Ezra asked gently, "Are you thinking that because of what Spencer is doing to you?"

"I. . . I. . . " Aria choked. "I love her. She's my sister."

"And I love you," Ezra countered. "And I would do anything and everything for you. But, you're worried that me taking care of you is becoming a burden. Just like Spencer is a burden for you?"

Aria thought of the long, tired hours she'd spend coaxing a crying Spencer back to sleep. She thought of dragging her to the doctor, to the therapist, to the hospital, claiming it was for her own good. Aria thought of pretending that Hanna and Emily, two of the only people she was certain she love, were dead, and pretending that she didn't miss them like crazy. And Aria thought of hiding all of this from Harper, someone she genuinely liked a LOT.

"It's a bit of a burden," admitted Aria sadly. "But. . . it's worth it, because I love her."

"Well, shouldn't it be the same for me?" said Ezra, flashing her a boyish smile. He kissed her gently for a few moments before Aria pulled back.

"She's not the only thing that's a burden for me," said Aria. "I don't like keeping secrets."

Ezra raised an eyebrow. "You're keeping secrets? From who? Me?"

Aria swallowed, unable to answer. "I. . . I just meant in general."

Ezra looked at her and glared. "No you didn't," he responded. "Aria, what secret are you keeping?"

"Ezra, I-"

"No," he commanded. "Aria, stop. Stop trying to hide from me. You kept a secret from me, and look where you ended up. You almost got RAPED an hour ago. So you are going to tell me what secret you're keeping. I can't handle any more lying."

Aria sniffled, wishing she would pass out for the second time that night. And again, it wasn't working. "A is back," she whimpered. "A is back, and I've been getting texts again. Spencer hasn't, but I have, and I. . . I. . ." Aria didn't finish, only buried her face in her hands.

"Holy shit," whispered Ezra as he wrapped his arms even more tightly around her. "I know why you wouldn't tell me, but still. . . holy shit. Do you have any idea who it is, any at all?"

Aria nodded weakly. "It's Toby; it has to be. Most of the texts I get are about Spencer, or the accident."

"You mean when he tried to kill her.'

"Ezra, you know I don't have any proof-"

"But you said you were certain," Ezra interjected. "If you're certain that he was the one you saw that night, messing with Spencer's car, than I believe you. And there is NOTHING forgivable about murder. NOTHING. Even ATTEMPTED murder. He deserves to rot in hell."

Aria sighed. "I agree with you, Ezra, but-"

"But nothing, Aria! He needs to be punished. There is NOTHING excusable about murder. It's completely unacceptable that filth like him get to walk around and see the light of day-" Ezra was cut off by a sudden buzz from his phone. A tenth of a second later, Aria's cell made a chirping noise. Both of them grabbed their phones and found one new text message from an unknown sender.

It was a picture message. The image showed a body, mangled and beaten, lying in the middle of a dark street. Pools of blood swirled around his limp corpse, glistening in the moonlight. Aria instantly recognized Ryan's body, which had been so intimately pressed to her an hour or so before. The message read only one word: **Hypocrite**. And of course, it was signed -**A**.

Ezra and Aria looked at each other for half a second, their blood beginning to chill, before the two of them jumped up and sprinted out of the office building. They ran down the street as quickly as they could, their hearts pounding a million beats each minute, to find the spot where they had last seen Ryan, but when they reached it, his body was gone. The pavement was black, with no hint of the pools of blood that had been there earlier.

Ezra's nose twitched, and he sniffed the air. "You smell that?" He sniffed again, twice. "Clorox. Like someone was cleaning."

"Like someone was cleaning bloodstains," Aria corrected, searching the dark pavement. There wasn't a speck of blood anywhere. All traces of what had happened earlier had been erased, all traces of. . . what Ezra did. "Ezra. . " Aria began shakily. She ran to Ezra and collapsed in his arms. "What does this mean?"

Ezra bit his bottom lip. He quickly looked around to see if someone could overhear him, but the street appeared deserted. When he decided that they were alone, he gave Aria a tight squeeze and whispered in her ear, "It means. . . that I killed a man. Aria, I killed a man, and . . . " Ezra's tongue felt like jelly. He couldn't make the words sound real to himself.

Aria swallowed, took a deep breath, and finished for him. "You killed a man to protect me, and A is going to cover it up and hang it over both of us."


	22. Chapter 22

**I know I'm on hiatus, but here is a quick installment. **

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"What do we do?" breathed Aria. "I can't. . . I don't know what to do from here."

"Run," Ezra said simply. "We have to run."

"Run?" gasped Aria. She was still wrapped in his arms, and she knew he could feel her body shaking. "We can't do that. Ezra, what about Spencer? Toby is after her! I can't just. . . LEAVE her."

"Aria, who gives a fuck about her?" Ezra growled. "All I care about is you."

Aria stiffened and stepped back. "_I care about her._ She's my sister. And Ezra, I really feel like the safest thing to do would be to just go and tell the cops-"

"THE COPS? Aria, we can't tell the cops! I'll be arrested! They- THEY CAN SEND ME TO JAIL!"

Aria swallowed and took another step back. Ezra was getting angry, and she was afraid. "It's the only thing to do. The only thing we CAN do. I-"

She cut off abruptly when she realized what Ezra was doing. He was reaching into his pocket, and he pulled out a pistol. In seconds, he had it pointed at her heart, his hands shaking. "Ezra, what are you doing?" she whispered.

"I can't go to jail," he cried. His voice was quivering as he croaked out, "You're the only witness. If you die, so does my secret. I'm sorry, Aria." Before she had time to respond, he had fired a bullet straight at her heart.

Aria's eyes went wide with surprise, but fluttered shut seconds later. She was dead before her body even hit the ground. When he heard the smack of her body on the pavement, Ezra gasped, realizing what he had done, and ran towards her.

"NO!" he screamed. "Aria, no!" He fell to his knees next to her corpse and gently placed a kiss on her cheek. He let out a low wail before leaning down next to her body and whispering in her ear, "Happy April Fools, fan fiction readers! GOTCHA!"

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**I'm dying. This was NOT A REAL CHAPTER. I just needed to play a good April Fools Joke. Sorry ;) **


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey, I know it has been ages, but here is another chapter! Some of you will be very happy with it I think ;) Homework is killing me, so I don't know when I can update again, but I hope you like this chapter. It's a long one! It took me a while to write and revise, which is why it's been a while.**

* * *

"Spencer, lay down," commanded Mike when he saw his step-sister trying to sit up. "You're supposed to be resting."

She moaned dramatically and flopped back down on her bed. "Why? I feel fine."

"Because you might have a concussion. Now, lay down."

Spencer sniffled and reluctantly put her head back down on a pillow. "But I don't just want to be a sitting duck in here. What if he shows up, and we're just relaxing here like we don't have a care in the world?"

Mike sighed, stood up, and started to approach her. But he didn't noticed the rug on the floor and his foot caught, causing him to trip. He went sprawling to the floor, using his arm to break the fall. It was the same arm that had smacked the floor earlier and started to swell.

Mike let out a sharp cry and began to hyperventilate. He pressed his arm close to his body, trying to hide his tears from Spencer as he watched the arm swell even larger than it had before. "Mike!" gasped Spencer as she jumped off the bed. She sat down next to him on the floor and placed a hand on his back. "Are you okay?"

"No," he whispered tightly, trying not to cry in front of Spencer.

"I-I think you b-broke your arm," Spencer stuttered. "Yo-You need to get to a hospital."

Mike shook his head fiercely through his tears. "I can't," he whimpered. "I need to protect you."

"Mike, there's a lock on the door, and the windows are pretty thick. NO ONE is going to get in. Now you need to go take care of yourself. I'll be fine."

Mike turned to Spencer, his eyes wide. "But. . . I promised Aria and Melissa I'd watch out for you."

Spencer kissed his forehead gently and whispered, "I'll be fine. You need to take care of YOURSELF first."

Mike's eyes filled with tears and finally spilled over. "NO! Spencer, I promised them I'd take care of you. I can't just leave you here alone!"

"Yes, you can," insisted Spencer. "Mike, you're hurt. Even if something did happen, which it won't, you won't be able to do anything hurt like that. Please, go to the hospital. You can't just stay here."

Mike nodded reluctantly, and Spencer helped him stand up and walk towards the door.

Mike looked at her sternly and said, "Promise me you'll stay here, that you WON'T leave."

"I promise," Spencer said earnestly. And she meant it; she would not leave. "Now go take care of yourself." She opened the door for Mike, and he slowly began to make his way out of the door room.

As soon as he was gone, Spencer flopped back down on her bed and waited. But on second thought, she moved to the swivel chair at her desk and began to apply some makeup. She was smarter than most people gave her credit for; she knew that soon, very soon, she would have a visitor. Just as she swiped a mascara brush on her eyelashes, she heard the doorknob begin to creak.

"Right on time," she said to herself with a grin. She closed the tube of mascara and spun around in her chair, facing the door. She crossed her arms and stared intimately at the doorknob as the door opened, and in stepped a familiar face.

"I've been expecting you," she declared as she stood up, her voice shaking with fear. _I've been expecting you. Did I really just say that? I sound like a moron._

She examined her visitor, her eyes canvasing every inch of him. His sandy brown hair was a little bit longer, his clothing was loose and messy, and he had a big, white bandage taped to his forehead. He looked wilder, crazier than he had the last time she'd seen him, but some things were still the same. His beautiful eyes were still the same piercing, baby blue. He face was still perfect, chiseled of granite. He was still the boy she knew. There he was, the boy that was haunting her.

She knew this moment, facing him again, would be the hardest thing she'd ever done. She knew it had to happen, but she didn't know how, or when, or why. Now, seeing him for the first time in months, she knew she should be more afraid, but the fact that he was here at all said so much to her already.

If he was here, it was because he cared about her.

"You were?" said Toby, surprised. "How DID you know?"

"Because at one point in my life, I loved you," she responded simply. "And I knew everything about you. And I know that . . . you wouldn't go down without a fight. I know you wouldn't just give in and walk away. I knew you'd try to find me again."

Toby nodded slowly, not taking his eyes of Spencer. "I'm surprised you're so calm. Why aren't you flipping out? I mean, you think I'm a murderer."

Spencer stood up and took a step towards Toby, looking him up and down. "I'm calm because of what you just said. 'You think I'm murderer.' Not, 'You should be scared because I AM a murderer.' You told me that I should be scared because I THINK you're a murderer."

Toby swallowed, not responding. "So you believe me? You believe that the accident isn't my fault, that I didn't kill Alison. You believe me."

Spencer said nothing, only placed a hand on Toby's cheek. "You know," she whispered sadly, "You look a lot less sure of yourself when you aren't pretending to be a bad dream." She wasn't sure at first if the Toby in her dreams was real or not, but now she was. "As much as I hated you, I knew you would never just leave me after the way we ended things. You're too good of a person."

"So you're not still mad?" Toby whispered. By then, he had lot sense of everything but Spencer. He could feel the soft touch of her fingertips on his skin, the warmth of her body against his.

"Mad about what?"

"You know. . . the accident?"

"Well, of course I am. I'm furious, actually. You put me, my friends, and my family through hell. But why would I be mad at you? It's not your fault, right?"

"That's not what you always thought."

Spencer shrugged and breathed, "Well, I'm not aways right, am I? People should stop listening to me. I'm hardly ever right."

She suddenly pulled back and glared at him. Toby didn't have a second to think before she slapped him. "Of course I'm MAD, you idiot. Of COURSE I'm mad. You know I have a right to be. But the fact that you're here, trying to prove yourself to me. . . makes me think I need to slow down and hear what you have to say. That's another problem I have; I don't always stop and listen to people."

_But then again, Wren stopped and listened to me the night of the accident, and look would happened to both of us. _She suddenly flashed back to what had happened moments before Melissa came in and found her with Wren.

* * *

_"Spencer, what's wrong?" Wren asked as he stepped into Spencer's room. He had been hanging out at the Hastings's house quite a bit since he began dating Melissa again, but Spencer tended to avoid him. Currently, she was sitting on her bed, knees tucked up to her chest. He could see her body convulsing with tiny, shaking sobs._

_"Go away," she sniffled as Wren sat down beside her. "What are you even doing here?"_

_"I was visiting Melissa," Wren said honestly. "She said she'd be home in about an hour and a half. We've been getting closer lately."_

_"By closer, you mean intimate," Spencer corrected. "Yet another thing Melissa has, and I don't."_

_"What do you mean? What happened to the carpenter?"_

_"The carpenter has a name," said Spencer. "But it. . . I guess it doesn't matter what his name is."_

_"Why not? I thought you two were in love."_

_"We were," Spencer said woodenly. "But, I found out that he was lying to me about a lot of things."_

_"Like what?"_

_Spencer swallowed. She normally wasn't very comfortable confiding in others, but in the past, Wren had been a wonderful confidante. "Months ago, I saw him in a black hoodie."_

_"So?" asked Wren innocently._

_Spencer blushed. She tended to forgot that not everyone understood why she jumped and screamed whenever she saw a black hoodie. Not everyone knew what it meant. "We saw him. . . doing bad things."_

_"Bad things?"_

_"It's personal," Spencer replied._

* * *

"What did you see me doing?" asked Toby. "You never told me."

"When I figured it out?" Spencer closed her eyes, remembering.

"Figured out what?"

"That you're A."

Toby looked at her sternly. "Well, what DID you see?"

"I saw you, in a black hoodie, go into my kitchen and steal the key to the storage unit, the key that you dropped when you were chasing Hanna. Melissa was right outside my house, and she confirmed that it was you. You're A."

Toby sighed and took a step closer. "Spencer, everything I've done is so I could protect you." He searched her eyes, begging for her to accept this.

Spencer cast her eyes over him angrily and whispered, "I want to believe that, but I don't know if I can."

Toby sniffled and whispered, "What we had was real. I was pretending to work with Mona to keep you safe. I need you to believe me."

* * *

_Spencer swallowed and said to Wren, "After that, I got an email, anonymously. Attached were some pictures of him and . . . Alison, the night she went missing." She could still remember the images now, even thought they had been deleted from her computer by a "mysterious virus."_

_Wren's eyes went wide, and he placed a comforting hand on her back. "Spencer, that doesn't necessarily mean that he did anything."_

_"Yes, it did," Spencer whispered. "I didn't actually see Ali, but he was yelling at some girl in a yellow top from behind, he was holding a shovel, and he was angrier than I'd ever seen him. The pictures were pretty incriminating. He did it. He killed her."_

_Spencer released a breath she didn't know she was holding. "But, it's not just_ _the photos of him. . . hurting her. It's that. . . he was hiding it from me." She quickly wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, trying to swallow her sobs._

_"We don't keep secrets, me and him. Well, we didn't used to. When we started dating, it was all on the table. We don't keep secrets, and we don't lie. Or at least I didn't. But I guess he didn't feel the same way about me that I did about him."_

_Wren pulled her in tightly for a hug, and she winced. "Something wrong?" he asked with concern._

_"I just have a bruise on my side. I fell down the stairs about a week ago, and it still really hurts." She didn't tell him that she fell when running away from Melissa, who was mercilessly yelling at her for interrupting her while she tried to work._

_"You might have seriously hurt yourself. Let me take a look." Wren began to take off Spencer's sweatshirt, but she pulled it back down._

_"I'm not wearing anything under this," she admitted, turning pink._

_"Well, I want to make sure you're not hurt," Wren insisted as he yanked the sweatshirt off her head. He could feel his heart slowing as he whispered, "I hate to see you hurting. I'd do anything to make sure that you. . . . don't get hurt."_

_Before Spencer could respond, he pressed his mouth to hers and the two began to kiss. She couldn't even think about how wrong it was, that he was dating her sister, that she was still missing Toby. All she could think about was how nice it felt to have a boy taking care of her again._

_And that was all she thought about until she heard the high-pitched shriek from across the room as Melissa came in and discovered the two of them together_.

* * *

"Believe you? Toby, what exactly should I believe?" Spencer stared at him, her mind spinning in circles.

Toby looked her in the eye and whispered, "Believe that I never hurt Ali. Believe that I only joined the A team to keep you safe. Believe that I never cut the brakes on your car. Believe that I was framed for the accident, and Ali's murder. Believe _ME_."

Spencer stiffened. Could it be true? Could he really be innocent? Could everything all just be one big lie? "Why should I believe you, Toby?" Spencer growled. "You abandoned me for MONTHS; as far as I know, you're lying to me now. You're a snake. You hid from me and lied to me. Give me one good reason why I should believe any of this."

Toby smiled sadly at Spencer and pressed his forehead to hers. "Believe me because I love you." Their faces were just inches apart when he pressed his lips to his. Spencer exploded on the inside, anger and love surging through her at equal measures. She didn't kiss him back at first; she was still furious with him.

She pulled back, completely in shock. Spencer knew at that moment she had to make a big decision: whether or not she would believe Toby, whether or not she could love him again. She had to decide which emotion would win out, anger or love. She needed to either forget the past or let it run her life completely.

She needed to decide if she would be angry at him, or if she would love him. Anger or love, the past or the present.

After a minute, she chose.

* * *

**For clarity, the sections in _italics_ are the same flashback from the night of the accident.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys! I'm sorry I have been so bad; it's been ages since my last update. I have been so insanely busy with school that I have had almost NO time to write. But, I hope this chapter makes up for it, because it delivers for more than one group of fans ;). Also, we have a little game of spot the reference to the real show. Leave me a review if you get my reference :). Also, let me know if you liked the chapter in general; this is a big turning point for Ezria, Spoby, and Sparia in this story. Let me know!**

* * *

"Do you want me to come to your room with you?" Ezra whispered as he and Aria climbed the stairs of her dorm.

She shook her head and answered just as softly, "I'm actually going to Spencer's room. I've been staying with her for a little bit while we've been. . . taking care of each other."

Ezra nodded, understanding. "Well, can I at least walk you to the lobby?" He wrapped an arm protectively around her waist while the two climbed steps.

"I'd like that," she choked out, her voice quivering. Was this the last time they would be together? If the cops found out what Ezra did- would he be taken away? Would the two ever get to hug like this again?

"Hey," Ezra whispered sadly. "Don't be like that, baby. We don't know what's going to happen."

"That's just it," she whimpered. "Ezra, we DON'T know what going to happen!" She stopped walking and leaned against the wall as she took a few deep breaths. "Oh God, Ezra."

"Hey, hey, shhh." Ezra wrapped his arms tightly around her and whispered, "Aria, no matter what happens, I will not let Toby Cavenaugh hurt you. Do you understand?"

She didn't respond, only buried her face in his shoulder. He smelled like his cologne, and fabric softener- just like he always did. But she could also smell traces of blood on his jacket, and that made her legs go weak.

"Aria, listen to me," Ezra insisted as he stroked her back. "I won't let anything happen to you because of what I did to that boy. I'll . . . I'll turn myself in."

Aria shook her head forcefully and pulled back, looking up at him with her round, glittering eyes. "No. Ezra, I can't let you go to jail."

"But I can't let him hurt you, Aria. I can't."

Aria nodded and took a step up the stairs. "Then we have to stop him. We have to expose him, and everything that he's done. That's the only way to keep each other safe."

Ezra nodded, understanding, and began to climb the stairs again next to Aria."Then that's what we'll do," he promised. "We'll find him, and we'll put a stop to all this harassment."

"But isn't that dangerous?" Aria whispered, stopping as she reached Spencer's floor.

Ezra shrugged. "You're worth it." He stopped and spun towards her, staring into her eyes. "Aria, I would go to the end of the Earth and back to keep you safe. I love you, and I'd go to jail for you. I'll confess, I'll kill Toby Cavenaugh- ANYTHING to keep you safe."

Aria shook her head. "You can't do that. Ezra, maybe the best thing is if we just stop seeing each other in public."

Ezra's jaw dropped. "What? Aria, I just got you back. I can't-"

"I didn't say we should break up," Aria clarified. "We should just stop . . . actually seeing each other. We can text, and talk on the phone. But if we stay further apart. . . Toby can't target us as easily, and you'll stay out of trouble."

"Are you saying that you think you're trouble for me?"

Aria looked up at him with, her eyes. "I would never want to do anything that would get you in trouble." Ezra looked at her and nodded, understanding. Aria sighed, stepped forward, and lightly kissed his cheek. She held her lips there for a moment on his roughly shaven skin, holding there even after she had removed her lips. She just want wanted to breathe him in.

"Goodbye, Ezra," she said as straight as she could while looking up at him sadly. She cast her eyes down and walked away on the steps, not looking back.

But suddenly, Ezra spun around and grabbed her by the arm. Before she knew what was happening, he had pulled her in close and kissed her. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist, and she reached her hands around him and squeezed like she was holding on for dear life.

They kissed long and hard for a few moments before Aria slowed down and took a step back. She gently touched his hair with her hand, and then touched his face one last time. Without saying a word, she turned around and walked away towards Spencer's dorm room, knowing that Ezra would always be waiting for her if she ran back to him.

"Aria?" a voice called in the distance. Aria peeked around the corner into the lounge for the floor, and her stomach sunk.

"Harper?" cried Aria. She rushed over to where Harper was sitting a couch, her hands beginning to shake. "What the hell is going on?"

Harper looked at Aria, tears streaking down her face. "Aria, he doesn't love me."

"What?"

"Toby. He doesn't love me, and he never will."

"Oh, Harper," whispered Aria as she watched the girl crumble into sobs. "Is that what this is about?" Aria sat down next to her on the couch and wrapped her arms around Harper. "Do you like him?"

Harper nodded whimpering. "I- I know I only met him twice, and I know it's crazy, but Toby. . . I love him. And he doesn't love me back."

"Oh, Harper, you don't want him to love you," Aria insisted, gently rubbing Harper's back.

"Yes, I do! Aria, there is something about him. The way he talks like he's known me for years. The way he looks at me, like he's actually SEEING me. No one who looks at me sees me. He's different"

Aria closed her eyes, remembering when Spencer said the very same thing to Emily. "'He's different'" Emily had mocked jokingly that day junior year. "That's how Spencer described him. 'He's _different.'"_ Aria and Emily had both smirked, thinking about exactly how DIFFERENT Toby had seemed to them; they had no idea how different he _really was._

"Harper, I promise you, you don't want him to love you. He's done things- BAD things-"

"I know," Harper shrugged. "He told me."

Aria looked at her, not believing. "Told you WHAT?"

"That he dumped Spencer, and that she tried to kill herself."

Aria puffed out her cheeks. Was that really the story Toby was trying to pass off? He was missing a lot of that story.

The fact the he was A. The fact that he disappeared the night of his and Spencer's anniversary, and he stayed missing for weeks. The fact that he only showed up again the night of the accident.

The fact that Aria, Emily, and Hanna watched him from Spencer's bedroom window that night, crouching next to Spencer's car while holding a tool box.

The fact that the breaks of that car stopped working less than an hour later, and Aria knew exactly why.

_He left all of that out,_ Aria thought. _What a lying asshole._

"But it doesn't matter," Harper continued. "He doesn't love me." She swallowed, cleared her throat, and whispered, "He loves _Spencer."_

Aria felt her heart speed up when Harper said that. It sounded like a threat. Or a promise?

"No, he doesn't."

Harper shook her head. "No, he does. The way he kissed her- I knew it when they looked at each other."

Aria nodded, remembering how they kissed. "It was. . . . Harper, let me tell you, that was not an expression of Spencer's free will. Where's Toby now?"

Harper sniffled. "I'm giving them some privacy," she explained, staring at her feet.

"Giving who some privacy?"

"Spencer and Toby-"

"THEY'RE TOGETHER?" Aria screamed. "WHERE ARE THEY?"

Harper was taken aback by Aria's screams and jumped back. "They're in our room," she admitted. Aria gasped and immediately ran towards the dorm room, yanking the door knob. For some reason, it wasn't locked. Why wouldn't it be locked? WHAT WAS TOBY DOING TO SPENCER?

Every sense of panic was surging through her veins. She couldn't imagine what was going on behind the door, what sort of hell Toby was inflicting upon Spencer. Every possible scenario flashed across her mind as she panicked. Was he touching her? Beating her? Yelling at her? Even him just being there, in that room with her, would be an unimaginable hell for Spencer.

She heard a scream from the other side of the door. It was a single staccato burst, as if someone somewhere was trapped and just a bit of them had gotten free. Was it a cry for help? Aria knew the screaming, that familiar screaming. It was Spencer screaming.

Whatever was going on, it was bad; it had to be. Whatever was happening on the other side of the door had to be very bad. Every instinct in Aria's body to her flight, but she didn't care. Whatever it was, whatever he was doing to her, Aria knew she had to stop it. She knew she had to save Spencer.

The door flew open and she burst, ready to tackle Toby if needed, ready to KILL him. But after one step, she froze like a deer in headlights when she saw exactly what Toby was doing to Spencer.

He was lying on top of her, a blanket loosely draped around both of their bodies. Neither of them had on a shirt, and she doubted they had anything else on under the blankets. He was kissing her passionately, as if there had never been any problem between them in the first place. His hands twisted through her hair, caressed her face, and held onto her like she was as fragile as a doll. He kissed her like he loved her.

And she was kissing him back.

And as Aria stared at their intertwined bodies, it was clear to her what path Spencer had chosen.


	25. Chapter 25

"Don't say anything," whispered Spencer as she shut the door. "Please, let me explain first."

Aria inhaled sharply and stared at Spencer intently. "I don't think I can," she growled, her chin quivering in anger. "Spencer, HOW could you do this?"

The second Aria walked in, Toby immediately jumped off of Spencer and got dressed. Aria remained frozen while Spencer and Toby ran in a flurry around her, dressing themselves and furiously trying to apologize. Toby ran out the door without another word, his cheeks bright red. Spencer tried to follow, but Aria stopped her with only a look.

"I didn't mean for it to end up this way," Spencer said honestly. "He came in, and we starting talking, and he. . . _apologized."_

"Apologized for _what?"_ spat Aria in response. "For lying to you? For being on the A team? For trying to kill you and your best friends? For murdering Ali?"

"_Yes," _said Spencer, running to Aria and grabbing her hands. "Aria, he apologized for all those things, but he didn't do any of them!"

"What do you mean?"

"He explained it to me. He joined with Mona last summer, planning to take her and the rest of the team down from the inside. But she planned to frame him for Ali's murder, and he took it to stay close to her."

Aria bit her lip angrily. "Then who did kill her? Mrs. Peacock in the library with the wrench?"

Spencer held Aria's hands even tighter. "He doesn't know," Spencer said with a shrug. "He just knows that whoever it is, they are working with Mona. They used Toby as a scapegoat. He didn't do anything, he promised."

"And you really believe that crap?"

"It's not crap," Spencer insisted. "Aria, it's the truth."

"How do you know? How do you know he isn't just making you think that?"

Spencer pouted and released Aria's hands. "Because I love him. And you too. I love you."

_I love you._

A thousands emotions passed through Aria's mind when she heard that. Those three little words, three little words haunted her every dream. Each time she closed her eyes, she could still see that text.

* * *

_It was a cold, blustery night when Aria, Emily, and Hanna sat down at the Apple Rose Grille. It was their usual hang out, whenever they had to study, party, or just relax. But as they sipped their hot chocolates and flipped mindlessly through their physics textbooks, they knew that something - someone- was missing._

_"What did you get for problem number six?" mumbled Hanna as she squinted at her textbook._

_Emily put down her drink and cast her eyes over the page. "657 kilopascals. You?"_

_Hanna grimaced. "I got 593. Aria?"_

_"Hmm?" Aria's head jerked up when she heard her name. She had been too busy twirling the stirring stick through her drink to pay attention to her homework._

_"Number six. What'd you get?"_

_"Um, I didn't get that problem. It was confusing." In truth, Aria hadn't really even looked at the assignment yet. She had spent the afternoon staring at her phone while she waited for Spencer to respond to ne of her 20 thousand texts, and she spent the morning sleeping in because she had stayed up late the previous night doing the exact same thing._

_"Well, what do we do?" whined Hanna. "I'm going to fail the test Monday for sure. Emily, can you just explain how the law relates to-"_

_"HANNA," Emily snapped. "I told you, I don't understand it either. I'm not a genius."_

I'm not Spencer.

_Those were the unspoken words that everyone could hear, but were too afraid to say._

_"Why don't we call her?" said Hanna softly. "See if she wants to come meet us."_

_"I doubt it," mumbled Aria, sipping her drink again. "She hasn't talked to us in days, Han. I don't think she'll suddenly come in and be your physics savior."_

_"I know. But I can hope, you know?"_

_Aria slammed her drink back down on table. "Well, hope breads eternal fucking misery, in case you haven't heard."_

_"Aria-"_

_"No. Guys, I can't handle it. I need her back. Why won't she call me back? What could have possibly happened that would make her hate me so much?"_

_"Hey." Emily reached across the table and grabbed Aria's hand tightly. "She doesn't hate you; she hasn't responded to my calls either, or Hanna's. I think she just might need some time."_

_"Time for what? Time to get over her breakup? That was two months ago. I just don't understand why-"_

PLING! _Aria's phone beeped loudly. Hope surged through her heart as she scampered to grab it from her pocket, but it quickly dissolved when she heard Hanna's and Emily's phones make similar noises._

_It was A. It had to be._

_"I can't read this," groaned Hanna. "I can't handle A right now."_

_"Let's read them together," suggested Emily. "On the count of three."_

_Hanna and Aria nodded weakly, and picked up their phones, unaware of what was going on a few miles away in Spencer's bedroom._

_"One," the girls said together as Spencer's tongue felt the smooth, white sleeping pills touch them, unknown to the girls._

_"Two," they quickly followed, not realizing that at the same time, the pills had just made contact with her throat, rough and scratchy things that burned as they went down._

_"Three," they finished, just as the pills went down, into Spencer's stomach. And just like that, all the girls turned on their phones and read the text._

_They were expecting the worst, expecting some bitchy, sarcastic comment about how dumb they were, unable to figure out their damn physics homework. But as bad as that would have been, iit couldn't even come close to what they saw on the screen._

_"**I love you**," they all read together._

_"Why would A write that?" wondered Emily aloud. "Why?_

_Hanna studied the screen, finally reading the sender of the text. "Because it's not from A. It's from Spencer."_

_Aria wanted to cheer; finally, contact from Spencer. And she had said that she LOVED them. But it didn't feel right. Why would Spencer send that suddenly, to all three of them? Why right now? _

_"Guys, I think something's going on," Aria whispered. "This doesn't feel right."_

_Hanna shrugged, "Okay, I'll call her." But the call went straight to voicemail._

_"Aria?" Emily asked. "You okay? You look kind of pale."_

_Aria shook her head. "I think something is wrong. This doesn't feel good."_

_A look passed between Hanna and Emily before they turned to Aria. "Okay," Emily continued. "So what should we do, Aria?"_

_"I think we need to go find her before she does something stupid."_

* * *

"I love you too," insisted Aria, "Too much to let you keep do this."

"Do what? Have a relationship with someone I care about?"

"No," Aria growled. "I love you too much to let you get back with the guy who screwed you over."

"He didn't 'screw me over!' He was framed, Aria! He didn't do anything that you thought he did-"

"That _I _thought he did?" cried Aria. She was loosing it; she was going to start yelling. But she was so mad she could scream. "If I recall correctly, you thought so too. If I recall correctly, you tried to kill yourself because of what he did to you!"

"Well, things have changed since then."

"Have they? Have they really? Spencer, you need to get down from the clouds and realize that Toby is not your perfect prince charming. He fucked you up; he fucked you up royally. And you can't see him again."

"_WHAT?"_

"You heard me, Spencer. You can't see him again; I won't allow you."

"You can't do that, Aria!" Spencer screamed. "You can't keep us apart; you don't have that power!"

"Oh, yes I do. Spencer, this is not just some little highschool romance anymore. It never was. This is your _life_ we are talking about here-"

"Exactly. It's _my_ life, Aria," said Spencer stubbornly, sticking out her chin. "It belongs to me."

Aria shook her head quickly, furiously. "No, it isn't! Spencer, your life isn't just about you anymore. It's about your parents, and Melissa, and Harper, and me especially! If it weren't for me, you probably wouldn't even HAVE a life anymore! I have invested so much of me into you. It isn't just about you!"

Spencer stiffened. "Is that the only reason you stay with me anymore? Because of what you've _invested _into me? Well, I'd hate to see your _investment_ crash and burn. It'd be such a shame for _you,_ watching _me_ struggle."

"Spencer, that's not what I meant-"

"No, that's _exactly _what you meant. You'd hate to see me fail because you've been molding me from some helpless little depressed freak into the perfect sister you've always wanted. Well, congratulations, you got what you always wanted: another person you can control."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" hollered Aria. "Spencer, I meant that you are not the only one in pain here. You think you're the only one who has nightmares? I dream about the accident every night. You think it's easy, remembering how Emily's car ran out of gas and we had to sprint three blocks in the freezing fucking cold? Thinking about rushing up the stairs to your room, finding out passed out holding a bottle of pills. Thinking about how I saw Toby standing outside your bedroom window, watching us freak the shit out when we try to wake you up, screaming your name and waiting for you to wake up-"

"Aria," interrupted Spencer. Aria was shaking, her entire body quivering with anger.

"Every night," Aria whimpered, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Every night, I dream about driving to the hospital with your head in my lap, and how Emily kept pumping the breaks but nothing happened." She was full on sobbing now, choking out screams in between sobs. "_NOTHING HAPPEN! _I keep listening to them scream when we went off the road, and I never wake up until AFTER we hit the ground. Every night, Spencer. Every single fucking night."

"I'm sorry," whispered Spencer as she watched Aria cry. She wanted to hug her, but her body was frozen; she couldn't seem to move her arms to wrap them around her friend.

Aria wiped her tears away, embarrassed. She caught her breath and choked out, "If you mean it, than you won't see him again."

"Aria-"

"Please, I can't let him hurt you again. Just promise me you'll never see him again."

Spencer shook her head. "I can't Aria, and I'm sorry."

Aria felt her breath catch in her throat; that was not what she expected Spencer to say. "Fine," she said finally. "Then good luck finding someone to pick up the pieces the next time he breaks you." Then, Aria stormed away, running as far and fast as she could.

And Spencer didn't follow. She just stayed still, staring at the spot where Aria had been standing, as if thinking about her hard enough would bring her back.


	26. Chapter 26

**I know I haven't updated Making Choices in a while, but I have literally been DYING to post this chapter! Just a warning- it's a little bit scary. But don't worry, it's worth it! I drew inspiration for this chapter from a book I read called The Tenth Circle, just to give credit where credit is due. PLEASE review; reviews really make my day, and it's really hard when I see that I get hundreds of views but only 4 or so reviews. But anyways, I REALLY hope you like this chapter cause I spent a lot of time working on it! (Andddd my grades have suffered a bit in result lol). Enjoy!**

* * *

A soft, slow breeze tickled the back of Toby's neck as he paced down the sidewalk, kicking stones. He mind was spinning, and not in a good way. In one night, he had reunited with Spencer and slept with her- ALMOST slept with her. Only an hour or so after Aria had walked in on him, he fet like everything was falling back into place. It was late, very late and very dark, when he finally reached his destination: the church.

Toby smiled sadly as he eyes canvased the picturesque white building. There was a grassy cemetary nearby and he paced it slowly, humming quietly to himself. His mother had been pretty religious, and he dragged him to church every Sunday until she got sick. The day she died, he lit the bible she'd given him on fire and threw it off a cliff. She had always told him to believe in God whole-heartedly and never question his faith, but Toby was skeptical. He had been agnostic before, but that day he was sure that there was no such thing as God; there was no way.

But now, as he glanced over the white crosses marking the graves, he wasn't so sure. Toby had started dividing his life up into two halves- before and after his mom died, before and after Jenna moved it. A lot had changed in those times, but what thing stayed the same: he always wanted to prove himself to someone- his mother, Emily, Spencer, maybe even God. He just had to prove himself.

And today, he had finally felt like he had done it. He received Spencer's forgiveness, the thing he had been longing for for months. By getting her to forgive him, he had proved to himself that he was forgivable. Maybe now his mother could forgive everything he'd done since she died, every sin he'd committed while she watched him. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't go to hell.

Toby laughed. Who was he kidding? Of course he was going to hell. If there was even such a thing; he wasn't so sure. But if it existed, it was perfect for him. Hell was the place where everyone did wrong, and Toby was sure he had done a lot more wrong than right in his life.

Toby sighed and began to weave through the white crosses, kicking his feet softly on the white grass. He softly began to sing to himself. "Will the circle be unbroken?" he murmured softly. It was the most popular hymn at his old church and one of his mother's favorites. He hadn't sung it in years, but he knew all the words by heart. It told him what he wanted to hear: "There's a better home awaiting in the sky." Some days, he was sure that their was a better home in the sky, but it was a place he was sure he'd never see. Or would he?

Toby pushed those thoughts out of his mind; hopefully, he wouldn't need to think about the afterlife for many, many years. He stared down at the names on the white crosses, wondering about the people who were buried there. His eyes caught on one name: Spencer.

There was no last name, date of birth or death, no kind words. Just the name engraved on a shining white cross. Toby felt his heart slow down, even though he knew that his Spencer was safe in her dorm. Had he killed her, figuratively speaking? After the accident, she might has well have been dead. Was he responsible for. . . killing her?

No, he realized. He was not, because she had been reborn. She was like a phoenix taking flight from the ashes that his betrayal had burned. And this Spencer, Spencer killed and born again, was more alive than ever.

"God," he whispered, an exclamation at reality. "God."

"Close enough," an ominous voice whispered from behind him. He could feel someone holding a knife to his neck as a blindfold was slipped over his eyes. "Start praying."

* * *

Toby walked for a long time in silence, over grass, over sidewalks, over rocks. That was the only thing she knew, how the ground felt. It the dark night in complete silence, the feelings in his feet were his only salvation.

Every time he tried to speak, he could feel the blade of the knife being pressed to his sensitive throat. He didn't dare try to run, to move away from this mystery figure, for he could never know what was happening, who was near him, or what weapons they had. His only choice was to comply, or risk his life.

After a while, he heard a soft voice whisper a single word: "Kneel." He immediately dropped to his knees, landing on soft, soggy grass. He could only relish the sweet relief for a moment before he felt someone kick his chest, sending him falling flat on his back. Toby gasped when the wind was knocked out of him, but he didn't have time to catch his breathe before his hands were yanked up and stretched around something, what Toby guessed to be the trunk of the tree. The mystery person quickly wrapped a thick rope around his wrists and bound them tightly behind the tree.

Toby instinctively struggled, flopping around like a fish for a few minutes while he gasped for air. But a sudden hand at his throat made him stop. It was a small hand, he could feel. Definitely feminine. "Who the fuck are you?" Toby growled, his Adam's apple bobbing in fear.

He could feel hot breath on his face as the person leaned in close to him. Whoever she was, she planted a light kiss on his cheek, just under the blindfold concealing his eyes, and whispered, "I'm your worst nightmare."

Seconds later, Toby felt a slight pulling sensation when his shirt was tugged sideways. He heard the sound of shredding fabric and felt a thin release as the mystery girl began to systematically shred his shirt. Within minutes, his plaid polo was simply thin shreds of fabric lying on the grass around him. The grass felt itchy against his bare back, but it was no where as painful as the dread surging through his veins.

"Damn," she whispered as she placed a hand lightly on his chest. "You've still been working out. Your chest is still perfect."

Toby couldn't help but smirk and scoff quietly. "So you kidnapped me, blindfolded me, and ruined my shirt just so you could see my chest? Isn't there any easier way to get some-" But he stopped short, his breath catching in his throat, when he felt the tip of the knife lightly pressing his chest.

Toby's breathing slowed as his assailant slowly dragged the tip of the blade across his body. "I was just admiring," the voice whispered again. He knew the voice, he knew it, but he couldn't name the girl it belonged to. "It looks like you were working out while you were in hell."

Toby's chin quivered as the blade continued to graze his chest in straight lines. It was rhythmic, systematic; the movement was in straight, systematic lines. It took him a minute to realize that the girl was tracing the lines of his six pack. Whoever this person was, she was not cutting him at all. The knife hadn't broken the skin, hadn't even scratched him, but he knew if she applied just a tad more pressure, he skin would slowly burst around it.

"Well, the food is shit down there," Toby whimpered, trying to make some sort of retort. "I need to work out to stay in top shape. But then again, I'd think you'd be familiar with hell's cafeteria seeing as you've probably made a trip their yourself- AHHH!" The blade went deeper at a spot on the left side of his chest, making three quick slashes. Toby knew it would probably need stitches, or so he guessed by the searing pain radiating from a spot just off his heart.

Suddenly, he heard the voice giggle.

"Whats. . . so . . .funny. . .?" Toby wheezed through his teeth, trying not to show pain.

"I bet," the voice whispered menacingly. "When you die, you'll see Ali on the other side. And she'll see you, covered in blood."

_Fuck. IS SHE GOING TO KILL ME? _"Your point?" Toby hissed.

"Ali's away sleeping sweet until Toby's all bloody," she breathed. She paused before uttering the last three words, three all too familiar words: "Count. On. Me."

_Holy shit. _He had NO idea what she meant, no idea what she was talking about. Well, he remembered the eerie phrase that she was altering, but WHY? Was it a code? Was it a reminder of what he had done? Was that a threat? Or a taunt?

Whatever it was, it was dangerous."Who ARE you?" he cried again. "Tell me who you are!"

There was no response for a minute as the girl lightly pressed the fleshiest part of a finger to the gashes on Toby's chest. She firmly pressed a blood-covered finger to Toby's cheek and leaned in next to him, ready to whisper in his ear.

"Listen to me," she whispered in her eerily familiar voice. "If you ever touch my sister again, I will come back, and I will kill you. That's a promise."

Toby gasped. "ARIA?" There was no confirmation or denial. Instead of a response, he received a sharp slap to the cheek. He could hear the soft sound of footsteps as she began to walk away. "You can't just leave me here!" Toby cried, angrily yanking his wrists under their binding.

After a minute, he felt her slip something long and smooth into his hands; it was the knife. Toby furiously began sawing through the rope, but he could already hear the quick pads of running footsteps. By the time he had managed to free himself and rip off his blindfold, he realized that he was alone, secluded in the woods near Spencer's school. Aria was no where in sight.

Toby stood up, wincing as the wounds on his chest flexed. He instinctively placed a hand on his left breast where the three gashes were. Blood was slowly spilling out, and he knew he needed to head to the hospital. "Aria," Toby whispered as he felt the gashes under his palm. It was her, he was sure of it. It wouldn't be until later, after he had bandaged the wound, that he would realize the three gashes were in the shape of an "A," permanently marking him with a scar to show exactly what his assailant thought he really was.


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey all! Thanks to Totaldramfan123, FluteNinjaEm, Sgdp1261, KooshGID, Plldreamcatch3r, and guests for reviewing! Reviews make my day, and you have no idea how happy they make me! Please keep reviewing! Hope you like this chapter! **

* * *

As Toby slowly made his way through the woods and back to campus, his agony increased with every step. Part of it was stretching the wound on his chest, blood dripping out slowly and surely. It was painful, agonizing.

Part of it was his pride; he had been kidnapped and thoroughly beaten up by Aria- ARIA, five foot two, couldn't weigh more than 115. Aria, who fainted once when Toby hit a squirrel while driving her somewhere. Aria, who once got knocked off her feet by a strong gust of wind. Aria, whose femur snapped during a 2nd grade soccer game when she got a sturdy kick in the shin. Aria, the perfect picture of a damsel in distress.

Part of it was exhaustion; he had been out for hours without sleep, and it was nearly dawn. Saving your love life and being mugged by you girlfriend's step sister took a lot out of you.

But the biggest pain came from his sadness. He thought he was finally doing something right. He thought finally, somebody could forgive him. But Aria hadn't; Aria HATED him. She must still have blamed him for the accident. If only she knew what happened. . .

Toby thought back to that night. It had been months since he'd seen Spencer- well, months since they BOTH saw each other. He knew he was supposed to leave town, but he stuck around, mostly because he couldn't stand to be away from her. He'd follow her- to school, to the library, to the Brew- but she never knew he was there. He always wanted to approach her, grab her by the waist, swing her around like he used to, and kiss her. He'd fantasize about just running up to her and swooping her away from Rosewood, away from everyone who wanted to hurt her.

But he never did. He would just watch her.

He knew he could never go back to his loft, so he often slept over in the Hastings' garage. There was a perfect spot next to one of her father's antique vehicles where he could lay down without being noticed. The place was huge, a home for 6 cars; sometimes, she would walk right past him and into her car, never noticing he was there. It made him feel safe to see her there, knowing that she was alive.

The night of the accident, Spencer's car had been parked in the snowy driveway. Toby had been sleeping soundly in the garage when her heard a clang outside. He instinctively slid under one of the cars for cover, prepared for one of the Hastings to barge in on him. But then he heard the clanging again, and again, and again. Was it a burglar? He quickly slipped out the garage door and into a heavy blizzard. He had to squint through the falling snow, and he gasped at he what he saw.

It was a girl. That's all he could tell from behind. She was kneeling on the snow next to Spencer's car, holding some sort of tools. She wore a big, fluffy hat concealing her hair, thick black boots and pants, and a long red coat. _A long, read coat._

Toby knew who was in front of him; it was her. It was redcoat.

He held his breath, trying to be as quiet as he could as he took soft, quiet steps towards her. He planned to sneak up behind her, grab her, and spin her around. His heart slowed with every step, sweat beginning to form on his brow, despite the cold. This was it; he would finally know who redcoat was, who had been torturing Spencer and the others, who had been torturing _him._

Or he would have if he hadn't heard yelling in the distance. He squinted through the snow storm to see three figures running towards the Hastings' house, towards him and redcoat. Redcoat jumped away from the car and spun around towards Toby, revealing a face covered in a black ski mask. The two locked eyes for less than a second before she tossed the wrench she was holding on the ground. Toby's eyes focuses on the glint of her shiny ring, sparkling in the reflective white snow, as darted away in the blizzard, running faster than Toby could believe.

He had less than a minute to duck under behind a bush before Emily, Hanna, and Aria had reached the Hastings' house, huffing and puffing as they jogged up the driveway and to the door. Aria grabbed the welcome mat lying next to the door, yanking it off the ground to grab the hidden key beneath it. That was odd; why would they need to break into Spencer's house?

As soon as the girls dashed inside, Toby knew something was wrong. He slowly emerged from his hiding spot and approached Spencer's car. The blizzard was beginning to slow, so he could see a wrench on the ground next to Spencer's car. He casually walked over and picked up the wrench, examining it like it was a rare artifact. What did this wrench mean? Why was redcoat holding it? Was she messing with Spencer's car-

Toby's heart stopped when he heard a scream, high and deafening. It was too loud to be just one person; it had to be three voices. Toby looked up towards Spencer's window on the second floor, just above where he was standing. He couldn't see very well inside, but he knew there was chaos. What the hell was going on?

Suddenly, Aria' face appeared as she approached the window. She stared down at the ground, her eyes locking on Toby's. It was the first time someone had seen him -someone he KNEW had seen him- in months. He couldn't read her expression from so far away- anger? Hatred? Fear? He didn't stick along to find out. He broke into a run, knowing that she would come after him, come and try to kill him.

He didn't look back.

Now, as Toby hobbled down the sidewalk towards the Alpha house and back to his appartment, he wished that Aria had come after him and killed him right then and there. He had probably deserved it.

_"TOBY!"_ A voice screamed his name and Toby froze. He feared the worst- Aria. Or maybe Harper. But as he stared into the dawn, he could see none other than Melissa Hastings running towards him.

"What the hell happened to you?" she panted as she caught up with him. "Why the hell are you bleeding?"

Toby instinctively took a step back form her; he imagined that she was still pissed at him. Melissa noticed and cocked her head to the side. "Toby, it's fine. I went back to Spencer's room and she explained everything to me. Now let me see your cut."

Toby bit his lip as she pulled him underneath a streetlight and inspected his bleeding chest. "Melissa, I'm fine. It's. . . I tripped while walking. I'm okay."

Melissa rolled her eyes. "Please, Toby. You tripped, while you weren't wearing your shirt I might add, and made a gash that big? Somehow I doubt that. Now, who did this to you?"

Toby looked down, not willing to meet her eyes. "I was attacked."

"By who?"

"I- I don't know. . . " he stuttered, too embarrassed to tell the truth.

Melissa's gaze sharpened. "Yes, you do; you're too embarrassed to tell me. Who was it?"

Toby clenched his teeth, saying nothing for a few moments. "This is weird," Melissa mused, her eyes canvasing the gash. "It almost looks like. . ."

"Like what?"

"Like the letter A."

Toby's eyes widened as he inspected his wound. Melissa was right; it definitely looked like the letter A. "Was it A?" Melissa wondered aloud.

"Was A what?"

"Was it A who attacked you?"

Toby considered it for a moment. "I don't think she's A, I think she was marking me because she thinks that _I'm _A."

"Who?"

Toby ignored her. He liked the idea, so he was running with it, trying furiously to ignore the can of worms that Melissa had opened up: was Aria A? Was she redcoat? Was that even possible? After everything she did for Spencer. . . there was no way, no way on Earth. There was no way she could be behind this all.

Or was it possible? She had never liked him, so maybe she had been planning for him to take the blame for the accident and Ali's murder all along. He knew she really cared about Spencer; maybe she intended for Emily and Hanna to get hurt, and just leave her and Spnecer in safety. They were both in the backseet, after all. And now the two of them were as close as anyone could possibly be; but then again, Aria had ALWAYS been weirdly protective of Spencer, like a freaking guard dog. Could it be possible? Could Aria be A?

No, that was crazy. Was it crazy? It was crazy. Aria could never be A. As much as the two of them didn't get along, Toby couldn't believe it.

He just kept rambling to Melissa, ignoring the thought. "She got me from behind, holding a knife to my throat. I didn't stand a chance with the blade so close-"

"Toby, just tell me who."

He swallowed before answering: "It was Aria."

"ARIA?" Melissa shrieked. 'WHY would she do that to you?"

"I- I don't know. I guess she's pissed that I came back to Spencer. . ."

Melissa shook her head angrily. "She should be grateful that you're back."

"She should?" Toby was surprised; he assumed Melissa hated him for what she thought he did, what everyone thought he did.

"Well, yeah." Melissa took a step closer to Toby, staring up into his eyes. "Watching my sister fall apart over the last year has been hell, and at first I kind of blamed you. But now-" Another step closer, they were mere inches away, "You're back to fix what you broke, aren't you?"

Toby nodded, a bit unsure. He was glad to have an ally against all of Aria's crazy, but. . . Melissa was starting to make him uneasy. "It's heroic," she whispered. The tone of Melissa's voice had changed; it now sounded sultry. "Brave. _Sexy_ even."

Toby felt his muscles tightening. This made him nervous. "I wouldn't go that far," he said, eyebrow raised. He didn't like where this was going.

"I would," Melissa replied softly. "The fact that you would do something like that for her, it just makes me want to. . . " She trailed off, not finished, as she gingerly pressed her lips to his, giving him the lightest kiss.

Toby held his lips to hers for the briefest fraction of a second before all of his senses came back. He leapt back, startled, unable to believe what just happened. "Melissa, I- I'm sorry." He needed her as an ally; he couldn't afford to reject her. "I'm. . . flattered, but I'm with Spencer."

"Oh, Toby," she chuckled. "It'll never work between you too. Not after what you did to her."

"What I did? Melissa, I thought you knew- the accident isn't my fault!"

"Well, of course not," she agreed, an evil flicker in her eye. "But you were still A. And that is pretty much unforgivable."

It all made sense now. She was just screwing with him. She still hated him; she just kissed him to see how'd he respond, to mess up his mind. "You'd be surprised," he said tightly, "What people can forgive." With that, he broke into a run, and didn't look back to see that harsh scowl on Melissa's face.


	28. AN

Fanfiction readers-

I know sorry just doesn't cut it. I have not updated for ages. I've gone through a very difficult period over the last several weeks, in addition to finals, etc. Writing for me is a destresser, yet it takes time and effort to sit down and produce something good. Couple that with the fact that I lost about 10,000 words due to a technology failure and a bout of writers block, and you can see that I've had a hard time producing writing.

I know where both of my in-progress stories are going, exactly how they'll end, and what will happen chapter by chapter. But it has just been a struggle for me to sit down and create it. Writing fanfiction for me was a part of a regular routine: school and work, and then writing as a way to wind down and relax. But my personal life has changed over the last several weeks and I can't keep to that routine. I've been having a very difficult time.

Tomorrow, I leave to go on a trip and will be without internet for roughly 6 weeks. I will not be able to update in any of that time. I am so, so sorry for leaving you hanging. I hope to be able to start writing again when I get back and get back to a regular update schedule. Hopefully I'll find a way out of this funk.

Sorry,

-A girl with a laptop


	29. AN: I'm Back!

**Hey guys!**

**So, I'm back from my long summer adventures. I'm actually leaving on vacation again tomorrow, but I will hopefully have internet while I'm there.**

**So, like I said, a few months ago I had a really hard time and I was in a bad place. But that's over now, and I'm ready to start writing again. I think that Making Choices was kind of dying, so if I get enough people who want to know, I will reveal the ending and the final chapter that I wrote to end that story.**

**But as for Haunting, I am ready to start posting updates again. Hopefully I will be able to do two a week, maybe more. I know exactly where the plot is going and what will happen next. Most importantly, I know who A is. . . !**

**Thank you for your patience. Keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of Haunting, coming soon! (Hopefully within the next week).**

**Thanks again. **

**-A girl with a laptop**


	30. Chapter 30

Aria drove. She drove for hours, until the memories of that night had been washed away completely. She drove until she knew no other life than the never ending stretch of highway spilling out like ribbon in front of her. She drove until her head was empty, seeing, hearing, and feeling nothing but the road. She had no destination; she just followed the highway, taking an exit every now and then if it felt right.

She didn't know where she was going until she arrived.

She felt primal, like a wolf on the hunt. She had lost all human instincts, making snap decisions. She didn't think about that night, what had gone on. She just drove, nothing else. It wasn't until she saw a very familiar exit that she snapped out of her trance.

"No," she said aloud. "It can't be." She had followed her instincts, and her instincts had taken her back to Rosewood.

Aria pulled off of the highway and started driving in circles around town. She knew if she thought about it too much, she'd loose it. So she just kept driving, visiting the most memorable sights of the town.

She started down the street where Emily and Toby grew up. Then she trailed back towards Spencer's house, which was near to the highschool so she passed by there too. She wandered the grounds of Hollis and swung by Ezra's apartment.

She knew she should be feeling something; some sort of emotion. She passed all of her emotional landmarks, and memories cropped up at each location. How could she pass by Toby's front door and not think of throwing eggs at it the day she was released from the hospital? How could she not remember slipping on black ice the night of the accident when she passed by Spencer's driveway? How could she not think of the endless nights hiding out at Ezra's place, hiding from the rest of the world?

The only way to survive this trip, she realized, was to forget about all of that. Pretend it doesn't exist. Pretend these are just roads, and houses. She followed a new road, a road that would lead her to a different part of town. And suddenly, she knew which road she wanted to take.

She followed at road that would take her back to one of the last good things in her life, the road that could take her to the last person in Rosewood who could understand her. She took the road that would lead her to Hanna.

* * *

"Morning, sunshine," Aria said brightly, her voice thick with tears.

Hanna stirred in bed, confused and disoriented. When she finally woke, her eyes locked on Aria and her face exploded into a thousand-watt smile. "Aria!" she exclaimed, sitting up. "What are you doing here?" She tried to get out of bed, but struggled trying to get up. She couldn't quite pull her body up so she was sitting, so she settled with pulling herself up into a semi-reclining position. "How the hell did you even get in?"

Aria shrugged. "Picked the lock on a few doors. Nothing major."

"Aria, there are more than locks on these doors-"

"Well, I wanted to see you," Aria said, giving Hanna a mournful smile. Hanna knew that look; something was up, something bad.

"Did something happen?"

Aria shook her head sadly and walked over slowly to the bed. She sat down on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around Hanna. "Hanna," she whispered, "I missed you so much."

"Aria, what's wrong?" Hanna whispered. This couldn't be good; Aria hadn't been back to Rosewood once since leaving for school (well, as far as Hanna knew). She had talked every once in a while about coming back for the summer, but Hanna knew she was never serious. Aria would never come to Rosewood; it was just too painful for her to return.

"What, I can't visit my friend every now and then?" Aria countered. She released Hanna from the hug and left one arm slung around her friend's shoulder. "How've you been, Hanna?"

"How've I been?"

Aria smiled. "I've missed you so much, Han. You've been locked up here since. . . . " Aria couldn't finish the sentence, letting the rest of the words fade like smoke. She ran her fingers through Hanna's long, tangled blonde hair. "When was the last time you got your hair cut?"

"They don't really let you out for hair appointments-"

Aria cocked her head to the side. "Did you ask?"

"I haven't left here since the accident. You know that. I haven't seen my old house, let alone a salon." Hanna stiffed and scooched away on the bed, ever so slightly. "Why are you here, Aria?"

Aria looked at her, wounded. "What, I can't visit my friend and ask her how she's been-"

"How do I look like I've been? Aria, what the hell is going on? You don't visit me once all semester, and suddenly I wake up one morning to find you spying on me. What happened that brought you back bere?"

Aria sniffled, not responding for a moment. She couldn't look Hanna in the eye and just stared down at her lap. "He's back," she whispered finally.

Hanna felt her blood run cold. "You mean. . . " She couldn't say his name; it was just too painful.

Aria nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "And Spencer is falling for him, AGAIN."

Hanna clenched her teeth and took deep, hitching breathes. "That bastard. . . "

Aria placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hanna, you need to come with me. You're the only person who can convince her that Toby is dangerous."

"How?" Hanna shook her head in disbelief. "Aria, she hasn't spoken to me since before the accident. If she won't listen to you, what makes you think she will listen to me?"

Aria raised her eyebrows. "You won't have to say anything. Just looking at you should say enough."

Hanna blushed. It was true; Hanna (well, who Hanna was now) was a physical representation of what Toby had done, the damage he caused. Spencer couldn't bear to look at, or even think about, Hanna because of what happened.

That's why she pretended Hanna was dead; it was easier to pretend the accident DID kill her than to have to look her old friend in the eye. She knew everything that had happened to Hanna was her own fault, and she could never forget it.

But by seeing Hanna again, Aria figured, could remind Spencer of what Toby was capable of. By seeing Hanna, she would remember what irreversible damage had been done.

"Please Hanna, I need you. I need you to help her see. You need to save her."

Hanna smiled weakly. "Okay, but good luck busting me out of here. I swear, it's like I'm in prison."


	31. Chapter 31

"Spencer, wake up!" Spencer moaned, rolled over, and pulled the blanket over her head to try to block out Melissa. She was a mess, wearing her clothing from last night, her hair still a tangled mess, and dark bags under her eyes. There was no way she could go to class today, no way.

"I already tried that," said Harper. She was brushing her hair on the other side of the room. She wasn't about to get in the middle of some more Hastings family drama. She slipped in the room long past midnight while Spencer was sleeping, having no idea what happened between her and Toby OR her and Aria. And if no one was going to clue her in, then she refused to play the game.

"Come on, I brought you some coffee," Melissa encouraged, gesturing to the travel mug on Spencer's night table. Still no response. "Spencer, seriously, you have to go to class. Mom payed a lot of money for your tuition-"

"In case you haven't noticed, Melissa," Spencer mumbled into her pillow, "I kind of had a rough night." _Between reuniting with Toby, falling into a goddam fountain, Aria walking in on us naked, and having a bitch war with her, my energy is kind of spent._

Melissa frowned. "I know. But I told you, I've been texting Aria all night and she won't respond." Melissa picked up her phone and started scrolling through her messages, trying to find a response from Aria, but with no luck.

"I've been trying her, too," insisted Harper. She rolled her eyes to herself. _So Aria is just randomly missing._ _No one is going to tell me what the fuck is going on, are they? Fine, I give up. Screw it; I am DONE with trying to understand these screwed up sisters. _"Spencer, she probably just needs time to cool off. Maybe she just crashed in her old room, or with her boyfriend."

Melissa's ears perked up. "Boyfriend?" Spencer's cheeks flushed pink, and Melissa looked at her accusingly. "I thought you said they were taking a break."

"They are," Spencer assured her. "They're kind of. . . in a fight."

"About. . ?"

"Is it any of your goddam business?" Spencer shot back.

Melissa held her hands up. "Fine, fine. If you're going to hostile about it, then I don't want to know."

Spencer bit her lip. She didn't know what happened last night, how Ezra had saved Aria's life and ended another. As far as she knew, they still hadn't talked since Aria got sick at his apartment. At that moment, she had no idea that Ezra was scrubbing his hands furiously, trying to wipe off the literal and figurative blood before he had to teach his morning class.

Suddenly, Spencer's phone started to beep. She grabbed it from the nightstand, her stomach churning when she saw the caller ID. "It's an Unknown Sender."

Harper came over at sat down on the edge of the bed. "Text message?"

Spencer shook her head. "Nope, a video." Melissa and Harper sat on either side of her, and the three crowded around Spencer's phone as she hit play.

The video came to life before their eyes, showing a scene with wonderful clarity. It was Toby and Melissa, standing on the sidewalk in the dead of night. Their faces were somewhat masked by darkness, but you could see them talking, just talking.

But then, they were. . . MORE than talking. They leaned into each other. Their lips were touching. It only lasted a second before one of them pulled back. The scene was dark; you couldn't tell who started it, who ended it. In seconds, Toby started to run away, out of the frame of the video. And just like that, it was over.

A great silence fell over the room. Harper looked at Spencer, Spencer looked at Melissa, and Melissa looked down at her lap. Each second felt like a thousand years. Without a word, Harper got up and angrily stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. _Fuck this, I am DONE,_ she screamed inside her head. _  
_

_I am done getting caught up in their mess. I am done trying to play middle man when I don't know the war. And I am DONE with falling in love with Toby, when he already has to juggle two other girls. If I want him, I have to fight for him, and that's EXACTLY what I'll go do._

* * *

"It's not what you think," Melissa whispered tearfully as soon as Harper had left.

Spencer turned her head away. "I. . . I don't know WHAT I think it is." A million possibilities swirled through her mind, but the biggest one was the one she refused to accept. She played games with herself to put her mind at ease. There was no way, no way she was being lied to by both of them. Maybe it was just a weird camera angle, on a friend on friend kiss, or-

"Spencer. . ." Melissa put a hand on her sister's shoulder, but Spencer angrily jerked away. "It's not what it looks like. Let me explain. He- he came on to ME."

Spencer didn't say a word, her head still turned away. "Spencer, we were just talking. I told him that if he cared about you, I'd be okay with you two dating again. But he said he wasn't interest in you anymore, and that he had eyes for someone else, and suddenly he came in and. . . he KISSED me. I pulled off and said that I wasn't interested, and he got SO mad, and then he. . . he just LEFT! I was so confused, and I didn't no how to tell you, and-"

"Hey." Spencer turned around towards Melissa, who was now a blubbering mess. "It's. . . okay."

Melissa sniffled. "Are you sure?"

"It's not your fault," Spencer insisted as she squeezed her sister's hand. "Thanks for being honest." But even as she said it, a tear rolled down her cheek. The full meaning of Melissa's words hit her like a speeding train, chugging down the tracks straight for her heart. And with each thump, she could feel her heart being hit again, and again, and again.

"Oh, Spence. . . "

"I said it's fine," she said, more to herself than Melissa. "I don't really care about him anyways." The tears that clouded her eyes made it sound less and less convincing by the second. She gave Melissa a tight smile as they began to spill out over her face. "He's been gone for months, and- and I'm over him now, a-and it looks like he's over me too, so I'm glad we're done."

Her voice caught on the last word as she finally dissolved into sobs. It was true, it was real. She had fallen for him AGAIN, and she had been betrayed AGAIN. Everything he said to her last night, every kiss, every kind word, every touch- it was all a lie. And Spencer believed him, every last lie.

Melissa tried to reach out and hug her, but Spencer got up to quickly. "I- I'm late for class," she declared tearfully. She grabbed the coffee mug that Melissa brought for her, took a giant gulp, and dashed out the door with the mug, running as fast as her broken heart could allow, only stopping to chug gulps of the scalding hot coffee whenever she broke down.

_I love coffee_, she told herself as she swallowed another mouthful. _It's black, and bitter, and gives you a reality check when you're out of it. It's kind of like being in love and getting your heart broken- black, bitter, and real._


End file.
